title: Papillary thyroid cancer in Saudi Arabia. Clinical, pathologic, and management characteristics.
abstract: During a 3-year period, 233 patients with papillary thyroid cancer were seen at King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) (79% were female; 94% were national subjects). Pathology revealed 88% pure papillary carcinoma and 12% mixed papillary and follicular carcinoma, 7% microfocus, 18% well encapsulated, 24% capsular invasion, and 51% soft tissue invasion. Thirty percent of patients who had initial surgery not done at KFSH compared with 93% of patients who had initial surgery done at KFSH had an I-123 24-hour uptake < 5%. One hundred seventeen patients required completion thyroidectomy at KFSH for significant residual thyroid tissue, 56% of those had residual papillary carcinoma. The amenability of papillary thyroid cancer for cure necessitates the optimization of management at the national level. In Saudi Arabia, papillary thyroid cancer presented in an advanced stage, especially in males as manifested by the large primary tumor size, advance pathologic staging, and distant metastases at the time of presentation. Findings at second surgery, showed significant residual disease.
authors.affiliation: King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: al-Nuaim
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bakheet
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abdul Kareem
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ingmenson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: al-Ahmari
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: al-Saihati
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akthar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D018265:Carcinoma, Papillary, Follicular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D013965:Thyroidectomy
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes