Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Comparative Analysis of Incidental and Non-Incidental Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma Outcomes: Implications on
Emma A Finnegan1, Justin M Hintze2, Anne McGowan3
1St. James's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Introduction:
Papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC) are defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as tumours measuring ≤ 10 mm. Incidental PTMCs, or lesions discovered postoperatively on histological examination, are less extensively studied compared with lesions diagnosed preoperatively through cytology, particularly in terms of demographics, histopathological features and long-term outcomes. This study aimed to compare outcomes between these patients.
Methods:
A single-centre retrospective cohort analysis of data from the St. James's University Hospital Head and Neck tumour board spanning from 2013 to 2023 was conducted. A total of 152 patients diagnosed with PTMCs and neck nodes ≤ 1 cm were identified during this period. Of these, 55 were incidental and 47 were non-incidental PTMCs included in the final analysis.
Results:
Significant differences were observed between the two subgroups in terms of the size of the largest tumour focus (7.8 mm vs. 3.9 mm, p < 0.001), the presence of aggressive histologic variants (9.2% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.002) and the frequency of neck dissections (8.8% vs. 0.0%, p < 0.001). However, no recurrences occurred in either group.
Conclusion:
This comprehensive 10-year retrospective review found few differences in the presentation of incidental and non-incidental microcarcinoma, with low recurrence rates and excellent outcomes. These findings, with overall low numbers, provide hypothesis-generating evidence that this group may be suitable for discharge to primary care for further follow-up.
