Abstract

Objective: Regional lymph node metastases are common in papillary thyroid cancer. In this study we aimed to evaluate the factors affecting central and lateral neck lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer.
Material and Method: The clinical and pathological findings of 32 patients with papillary thyroid cancer who had undergone total thyroidectomy plus central and lateral compartment dissection were retrospectively analyzed between March 2012 and December 2013. The affect of age, gender, T stage, extrathyroidal extension, multifocality and lymphovascular invasion on central and lateral lymph node metastasis were evaluated.
Results: 12 of patients underwent total thyroidectomy and unilateral central neck dissection, 20 of patients underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central neck dissection. 12 of them underwent additional therapeutic unilateral lateral neck dissection. T stage was T1:23, T2:6, T3:3. In twenty patients (62.5%) lymphovascular invasion, in 22 patients (68.5%) multifocality, in 16 patients (50%) extrathyroidal extension were identified. Central lymph node metastasis on 19 of 32 patients (59.4%) and lateral metastasis on 9 of 32 patients (28.1%) were identified. Central neck lymph node metastases were significantly higher in patients with extrathyroidal extention (p

Key words: Papillary thyroid carcinoma, lymph node metastasis, extrathyroidal extension, multifocality and lymphovascular invasion