title: Surgical treatment of recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe our experience of treating recurrent thyroid carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of casenotes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital, Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  20 patients who developed recurrences of 273 who presented with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma between 1991 and 1999.
  
  
  METHODS
  Presentation, management, morbidity, and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 18 men and 2 women, median age 51 years (range 28-75). 13 were treated initially by total thyroidectomy and 7 with less than total resection. 16 were given ablative doses of 311I. The median time between initial resection and recurrence was 3 years (range 1-6). The sites of recurrence were cervical lymph nodes (n = 12), thyroid bed (n = 3), or both (n = 5). During a median of 3 years 10 patients were free of disease and 2 had died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Well-differentiated thyroid cancer usually recurs in the cervical lymph nodes. Further resection offers a high cure rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dávila-Cervantes
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gamino
authors.forename: Ofelia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Miguel F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Herrera
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*