title: Prognostic factors for disease-specific survival in 108 patients with Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma: a single-institution experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC) is a rare disease. It is believed that it is more aggressive than follicular thyroid carcinoma. The aim of our study was to identify factors associated with disease-specific and disease-free survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Altogether, 108 patients with HCTC (26 male, 82 female; median age 62 years; range 19-87 years) treated at our Institute from 1972 to 2011 were included in the present retrospective study. Data on age, clinical and histopathological factors, tumor stage, recurrence, disease-free and disease-specific survival were collected. Univariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with disease-specific survival. Cox's multivariate regression model was used to identify independent prognostic factors for disease-specific survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The follow-up period was 1 to 337 (median 105) months. Of 108 patients, 12 (11%) had distant and 8 (7%) had locoregional metastases before primary treatment. Recurrence was diagnosed in 26 cases (24%): locoregional, distant, and both locoregional and distant in 12, 11, and 3 cases, respectively. The 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year disease-specific survival were 96%, 88%, and 67%, respectively. Independent prognostic factors for disease-specific survival were: age of patients at diagnosis, distant metastases and residual tumor after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long disease-specific survival was found in patients with HCTC younger than 45 years of age without distant metastases and without residual tumor after surgery.
authors.forename: Rok
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Petric
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gazic
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. nbesic@onko-i.si.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Besic
mesh_terms: D018249:Adenoma, Oxyphilic; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult