title: Clinical significance of lymph node metastasis of thyroid papillary carcinoma located in one lobe.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have shown that lymph node metastasis can be of prognostic value. In this study, we investigated the clinical significance of node metastasis focusing on metastasis in the central compartment for patients with papillary carcinoma located in one lobe.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the frequency of lymph node metastasis in 759 patients with papillary carcinoma to determine whether and how such metastasis affects disease-free survival (DFS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Central node metastasis was observed in 63% of patients, and the frequency was increased in relation to tumor size. The frequency of lateral node metastasis was 62.0%, which was also directly related to tumor size. On multivariate analysis of cases showing tumor larger than 1 cm, central node metastasis was recognized as an independent prognostic factor of DFS. The frequency of metastasis to the paratracheal nodes contralateral to the tumor was drastically elevated for tumors larger than 1 cm, but metastasis to this region did not independently predict worse DFS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Central node metastasis independently predicts a worse DFS for patients with papillary carcinoma larger than 1 cm.
authors.affiliation: Kuma Hospital, 8-2-35, Shimoyamate-Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, 650-0011, Japan. ito01@kuma-h.or.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Tomoo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jikuzono
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higashiyama
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asahi
authors.forename: Chisato
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomoda
authors.forename: Yuuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takamura
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miya
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Matsuzuka
authors.forename: Kanji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuma
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy