[Postoperative recurrence and death rates of poorly differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid]

Postoperative recurrence and death rates of 54 cases of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma were analyzed. The rates of recurrence of 18 widely resected cases during 1979 and 1981 and 36 patients undergoing conventional surgery during 1965 and 1978 were 22.2% and 50%, respectively. The difference between the figures was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). The death rates of the two groups were 5.6% and 41.7%, respectively. These results indicate that wide resection is appropriate in the surgical treatment of the thyroid.