title: Usefulness of four prognostic indices in differentiated thyroid cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the follow up of 82 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer in order to evaluate patients' clinical and tumor characteristics of prognostic value.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective and comparative study was performed in 82 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer followed for a mean of 84 months. They were classified and included into four prognostic indices (pTNM, DeGroot's, AGES and NTCTCS) stages I and II were considered as a low risk ones and stages III and IV as a high risk group. At the end of the follow up period the patients were evaluated and divided into two groups, those with tumor activity (persistence or recurrence) and those in remission. A correlation coefficient and concordance analysis between the prognostic indices was done. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values were calculated in accordance with the tumor activity or the remission status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest correlation coefficient (r = 0.91, CI 0.85 to 0.94) was found between NTCTCS and pTNM indexes. The highest sensitivity (78%) and specificity (85.7%) was obtained with the NTCTCS index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our population, NTCTCS index was a good option to evaluate the prognosis of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Western National Medical Center, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Guadalajara, Jal. Mexico.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bolaños-Gil-de-Montes
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Ortiz
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Camacho
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramos-Solano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*