A Diagnostic Dilemma: Skip Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

The frequency, pattern, and predictive factors for skip LN metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remain controversial. In this study, we evaluated predictive factors of skip LN metastasis in these patients. We reviewed the medical records of 68 PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, central neck dissection, and lateral neck dissection at the initial operation. The relationships between skip LN metastasis and clinicopathologic factors were analyzed. After careful examination of electronic medical records of patients, 19 patients were excluded from the study. Of the remaining 49 patients, 9 (18.4%) had skip LN metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size <1 cm was an independent risk factor for the presence of skip metastasis (P = 0.035, odds ratio: 3.78, 95% confidence interval: 1.09-13.15). The rate of positive LN was relatively higher in micro-PTC patients than PTC patients. This finding is clinically significant and should be considered in routine clinical practice.