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Updated: May 10, 2025
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Analysis and prediction of contralateral central lymph node metastasis risk in unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma
Linghui Dai1, Lulu Zheng2, Yixuan Li1
1Department of General Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Background:
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) often metastasizes to lymph nodes, increasing recurrence risk and reducing survival. This study identifies predictors for contralateral central lymph node metastasis (Cont-CLNM) in unilateral PTC patients with ipsilateral lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (Ipsi-LLNM).
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed data, preoperative ultrasound features, and thyroglobulin (Tg) levels in unilateral PTC patients with Ipsi-LLNM treated at the Thyroid Surgery Department of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from August 2017 to August 2024. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used for variable selection, with independent t-tests and Chi-squared tests assessing differences. Logistic regression analyses identified risk factors for Cont-CLNM, and a nomogram was validated using 1,000 bootstrap resamples. Decision curve analysis (DCA) evaluated clinical impact.
Results:
Of 105 PTC patients, 56 (53.3%) had Cont-CLNM. LASSO regression identified three predictors: male sex, lymph node metastasis posterior to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (LN-prRLN), and elevated Tg levels. Multivariate regression confirmed these variables' association with Cont-CLNM. Internal validation yielded an area under the curve of 0.771 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.684-0.857]. A nomogram was developed and validated through DCA.
Conclusions:
Our findings indicate that combining male gender, LN-prRLN, and Tg levels effectively predicts Cont-CLNM, providing a basis for risk assessment in unilateral PTC.
