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Updated: Jul 10, 2025
Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Visualization in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Thyroid Cancer
Published on: June 9, 2023
Clinical factors for choosing active surveillance: an analysis of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients with
Ho-Ryun Won1,2, Min Gyu Kim1, Min Soo Kim1
11Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Objective:
Active surveillance (AS) has been suggested as a management option for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). However, the currently proposed selection criteria for AS application do not consider various clinical factors. The purpose of this study was to analyze clinical factors related to recurrence that could be confirmed preoperatively in patients who underwent surgery for PTMC and to identify factors worth considering when deciding whether to apply AS.
Materials And Methods:
Data were collected from patients with PTMC who underwent surgical treatment at Chungnam National University Hospital. A retrospective cohort was established according to the presence or absence of recurrence during the follow-up period. In total, 2717 patients were enrolled, of whom 60 experienced recurrence. Various clinical factors that could be identified before surgery were analyzed.
Results:
The relationship between various clinical factors that could be confirmed preoperatively and recurrence was confirmed through Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis. BRAF mutation and the tall cell variant were significantly more common in patients with recurrence. In patients aged 55 years or older, the risk of recurrence was lower than in younger patients, while the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate was higher.
Conclusion:
When choosing between surgical treatment or AS in PTMC patients, additional consideration of the patient's clinical factors, such as age and BRAF mutation status, may be required in addition to the existing criteria.
