Preoperative risk factors and recommendations for surgical intervention in cN0 papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

The evaluation and management of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) have always been challenging and controversial. Our retrospective study aimed to investigate the metastatic trend and risk factors of cN0 papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients and provide advice for surgical strategies. The clinicopathological features of 556 cN0 PTMC patients undergoing thyroidectomy combined with central compartment dissection (CCD) were compared by the χ2 test and risk factors were identified by binary logistic regression analysis. Numbers of dissected lymph nodes (DLN) and metastatic lymph nodes (MLN) were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test to compare metastatic trends between different lobes. Male gender, tumor maximum diameter (TMD) larger than 5 mm, multifocality, and capsular/extracapsular invasion were metastatic risk factors of central compartment metastasis (CCM) (p<0.05). The number of DLN in the right level VI was larger than in the left (p<0.05), while the number of MLN was similar (p>0.05). The chance of CCM was higher when the number of DLN was larger than 5 (p<0.05). After identified metastatic trends and risk factors, we recommend surgery for patients deciding on aggressive treatment, especially for cases where a combination of risk factors is present. And to ensure no residual metastatic lymph nodes and reduce secondary surgery rates, adequate lymphadenectomy on the diseased side would be a better choice considering the standard of care.