Risk factors contributing to a poor prognosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma: validity of UICC/AJCC TNM classification and stage grouping.
BACKGROUND
In 2002, the UICC/AJCC TNM classification for papillary thyroid carcinoma was revised. In this study, we examined the validity of this classification system by investigating the predictors of disease-free survival (DFS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) in patients.


METHODS
We examined various clinicopathological features, including the component of the TNM classification, for 1,740 patients who underwent initial and curative surgery for papillary carcinoma between 1987 and 1995.


RESULTS
Clinical and pathological T4a, clinical N1b in the TNM classification, and patient age were recognized as independent predictors of not only DFS, but also CSS of patients. Tumor size, male gender, and central node metastasis independently affected DFS only. There were 1,005 pathological N1b patients, but pathological N1b did not independently affect either DFS or CSS. Regarding the stage grouping, clinical stage IVA including clinical N1b more clearly affected DFS and CSS than pathological stage IVA including pathological N1b.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical stage grouping was more useful than pathological stage grouping for predicting the prognosis of papillary carcinoma patients possibly because pathological stage overestimates the biological characteristics of many pathological N1b tumors.
Ito
Yasuhiro
Y
Department of Surgery, Kuma Hospital, 8-2-35, Shimoyamate-dori, 650-0011 Kobe City, Japan. ito01@kuma-h.or.jp
Miyauchi
Akira
A
Jikuzono
Tomoo
T
Higashiyama
Takuya
T
Takamura
Yuuki
Y
Miya
Akihiro
A
Kobayashi
Kaoru
K
Matsuzuka
Fumio
F
Ichihara
Kiyoshi
K
Kuma
Kanji
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy