Prognostic parameters for recurrence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

BMC Cancer

Table 1 Baseline clinical characteristics relative to surgical extent and tumor multifocality

Baseline characteristics	Surgical extent					Tumor multifocality					Overall
	Total or near-total (n = 173)		Hemi- or subtotal (n = 134)		P value^a	Multifocal (n = 98)		Solitary (n = 209)		P value^a
Age at operation (> 45 yrs)	95	(55)	54	(40)	0.01	53	(54)	96	(46)	0.22	149	(49)
Gender (male)	16	(9)	16	(12)	0.46	9	(9)	23	(11)	0.69	32	(10)
Tumor size
≤ 0.5 cm	29	(17)	20	(15)	0.07	9	(9)	40	(19)	0.04	49	(16)
> 0.5 cm and ≤ 0.8 cm	63	(36)	66	(49)		40	(41)	89	(43)		129	(42)
> 0.8 cm	81	(47)	48	(36)		49	(50)	80	(38)		129	(42)
Multifocal tumor	84	(49)	14	(10)	< .001	N/A		N/A		N/A	98	(32)
Bilateral tumor	57	(33)	N/A			57	(69)	N/A		N/A	57	(19)
Extrathyroid extension	77	(45)	39	(29)	0.006	47	(48)	69	(33)	0.02	116	(38)
Lymph node metastasis
pNx	17	(10)	27	(20)	< 0.001	13	(13)	31	(15)	0.03	44	(14)
pN0	64	(37)	60	(45)		30	(31)	94	(45)		124	(40)
pN1a^b	68	(39)	47	(35)		43	(44)	72	(34)		115	(37)
pN1b^c	24	(14)	0			12	(12)	12	(6)		24	(8)
Remnant ablation	163	(94)	N/A			81	(83)	82	(39)	< .001	163	(53)
Total or near-total thyroidectomy	N/A		N/A			84	(86)	89	(43)	< .001	173	(56)

^a by Fisher's exact test except for tumor size and lymph node metastasis; by the chi-squared test for tumor size and lymph node metastasis.
^b Metastasis to level VI lymph nodes (pretracheal, paratracheal, and prelaryngeal/Delphian), classified as N1a in the 2002 TNM staging.
^c Metastasis to unilateral, bilateral, or contralateral cervical superior mediastinal lymph nodes, classified as N1b in the 2002 TNM staging.
Percentages are given in parentheses; N/A, not applicable.

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