Impact of Surgical Timing on Outcome in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia

Background/Objectives: To evaluate whether the interval between diagnosis and surgery is associated with aggressive histopathological features in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) among patients treated at a tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2009 to November 2024. A total of 350 adult patients who underwent surgical intervention for PTC were included based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected from medical records and included demographic, clinical, and histopathological characteristics. The primary outcome was the presence of aggressive histopathological features, assessed through tumor subtype, tumor size, extrathyroidal extension (ETE), lymph-node involvement, extracapsular extension (ECE), multifocality, goitrous tumor, thyroiditis, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and margin status. Surgical timing was categorized into two groups: less than six months and six months or more from diagnosis. Results: Most patients were female (76.6%), with a mean age of 40.7 years, and 78.3% were classified as overweight or obese. The analysis showed no statistically significant differences in histopathological outcomes between the two surgical timing groups. A significant association was found between positive lymph-node involvement and surgery performed within the first six months of diagnosis (p = 0.004). Conclusions: This study showed that surgical timing does not significantly affect histopathological outcomes in papillary thyroid carcinoma, particularly in patients without aggressive disease features. The association between early surgery and positive lymph-node involvement may reflect the prioritization of patients with preoperative lymph-node disease for earlier surgical intervention, highlighting the importance of individualized treatment planning. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impact of surgical timing and potential subgroup differences.