Clinical recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer in the remnant lobe.
OBJECTIVE
To find out which factors predict recurrence of cancer in the remnant after unilateral thyroid lobectomy for patients with papillary cancer.


METHODS
Retrospective study.


METHODS
Teaching hospital, Japan.


METHODS
One hundred thirty-three patients with a clinically solitary papillary thyroid cancer who had unilateral lobectomy for the primary disease between 1966 and 1990 and were followed up for more than 60 months. Twelve patients had developed recurrences in the remnant gland by the time of the second operation and 121 patients had not as judged by a second operation, an ultrasound examination, or by palpation.


RESULTS
The primary tumour size in those who developed recurrences was significantly larger than in those who did not (p < 0.0001), and clinical signs of regional lymph node involvement or distant metastases were also significantly more common (p = 0.006). No patient died of their cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Size of the primary tumour is an important prognostic factor for recurrence of solitary papillary thyroid cancer in the remnant after unilateral lobectomy. Such recurrences are unlikely to be lethal.
Asanuma
K
K
Department of Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Kobayashi
S
S
Sugenoya
A
A
Yokoyama
S
S
Shingu
K
K
Hama
Y
Y
Itoh
N
N
Kasuga
Y
Y
Amano
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy