title: Prognostic factors in follicular carcinoma of the thyroid: a study of 198 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prognostic parameters for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid have been defined by several groups. However, no such study has been reported for follicular carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We undertook a retrospective study of well-differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid operated at the Tata Memorial Hospital during the period 1970-1985. In our series, follicular carcinoma formed 48% of the well-differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid. The variables age, sex, size, extrathyroidal spread, distant metastases, and lymph node metastases were evaluated. The survival was plotted according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and graphs compared by log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on our experience we stratified the cases into low-risk and high-risk groups. The low-risk group included: age below 40 years, tumor size less than 5 cm. and no extrathyroidal extension or metastases. This low risk group had 100% survival at 15 years, compared with 40% survival for the high-risk group (P <.001). Seventy-three percent (73%) of our cases were in the high-risk group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on our findings that the majority of our patients were in the high-risk group, we advocate a total or near-total thyroidectomy in treatment of follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. There is a need to arrive at a universally acceptable classification of risk groups in follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay, India.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.forename: V H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Deshmane
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Shrikhande
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Havaldar
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology