[Childhood thyroid carcinoma: clinical analyses of 22 cases].
OBJECTIVE
Thyroid carcinoma is rarely occurred in children. Clinicopathologic characteristics, therapy and prognosis of childhood thyroid carcinoma patients are different from those of adult patients, and the treatment of this disease is controversial. This study was to explore the clinicopathologic characteristics, diagnosis and therapy of thyroid carcinoma in children.


METHODS
Clinical data of 22 children under the age of 14, diagnosed as thyroid carcinoma between Jan. 1980 and Dec. 2000, were reviewed.


RESULTS
According to UICC clinical and histopathologic classification(2002), 19 cases were classified as stageI (2 cases of T1-4N0M0 and 17 cases of T1-4N1M0) and 3 cases as stage II (T1-4N1-4M1). Of the 22 patients, 8 (36.4%) had papillary carcinoma, 8 (36.4%) had follicular carcinoma, 5(22.7%) had mixed papillary-follicular carcinoma, and 1 (4.5%) had medullary carcinoma. All patients had received operation and postoperative thyroxin therapy. Unilateral and bilateral neck dissection had been performed in 12 and 7 patients, respectively; 19 patients had cervical lymph node metastasis. The follow-up period was 6 to 26 years (median, 14.83 years). The 5-and 10-year survival rates were 100% and 95.5%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood thyroid carcinomas are mostly differentiated carcinomas, with high frequency of cervical lymph node metastases. The optimal treatment for thyroid carcinoma in children may improve the quality of life and decrease the incidence of complications.
Yang
Chuan-Sheng
CS
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, P. R. China.
Zhang
Quan
Q
Guo
Zhu-Ming
ZM
Zeng
Zong-Yuan
ZY
Lai
Fei-Yun
FY
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*