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Updated: Sep 9, 2025
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Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Visualization in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Thyroid Cancer
Published on: June 9, 2023
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Optimizing extended ablation margins in papillary thyroid carcinoma using digital pathology.
Han-Xiao Zhao1,2, Yun Niu3, Zhen-Long Zhao2
1China-Japan Friendship Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Endocrinology
|September 2, 2025
Summary
Extending thermal ablation margins by 2.5 mm is recommended for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) to reduce recurrence risk. Tumor growth patterns, not tumor stage, are key risk factors for infiltration distance.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) management often involves thermal ablation with an extended margin (2-3 mm) to prevent local recurrence.
- Evidence supporting the efficacy of this extended margin in PTC treatment is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the maximal tumor infiltration distance in PTC using digital pathology.
- To identify risk factors associated with tumor infiltration distance.
Main Methods:
- Digital pathology was used to measure the farthest tumor infiltration distance in 227 PTC surgical resection cases.
- Risk factors for infiltration distance were analyzed using statistical methods including rank-sum test, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression.
Main Results:
- Of 227 PTCs, 204 exhibited infiltration, with distances ranging from 0.14 to 2.26 mm.
- Maximal tumor diameter, lymph node metastases, and tumor growth patterns (TGPs) showed significant associations with infiltration distance.
- Multiple linear regression identified TGPs as the sole significant risk factor for infiltration distance.
Conclusions:
- A 2.5 mm ablation margin is recommended for PTC thermal ablation to minimize local recurrence risk.
- This recommendation is independent of tumor stage, emphasizing the importance of TGPs.
