title: Analysis of the prognostic significance of lymph node related characteristics in papillary thyroid carcinoma patients presenting with pre- or intra-operative evidence of cervical lymph node metastases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the prognostic significance of specific lymph node related characteristics for disease persistence and recurrence in patients with pre- or intra-operative evidence of neck metastases and no other risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-eight patients were identified; 50 per cent had persistent or recurrent disease. All underwent the same treatment strategy. There were no statistically significant differences in any of the patient- or tumour-related parameters when patients with and without persistence or recurrence were compared. Patients with recurrent or persistent disease had significantly larger (>3 cm) metastatic lymph nodes, but there were no differences regarding other lymph node related parameters (i.e. number, extracapsular extension, number of lymph nodes with extracapsular extension, and central vs lateral neck location). On multivariate analysis, however, none of the parameters were predictive of persistent or recurrent disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In papillary thyroid carcinoma patients with no other risk factors, pre- or intra-operative evidence of cervical metastases was associated with a very high rate of disease persistence or recurrence. Specific lymph node characteristics were not shown to have prognostic significance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soudry
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Preis
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hadar
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Segal
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bachar
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feinmesser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome