title: The significance of Delphian lymph node in papillary thyroid cancer.
abstract: To investigate the clinical significance of the DLN metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).
  
  
  
  A total of 231 PTC patients who underwent first surgical treatment in the Department of Hand and Neck Surgery of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from January 2013 to June 2014 were enrolled. The relationship between Delphian lymph node (DLN) metastasis and patient age, gender, tumor size, tumor number, unilateral or bilateral, capsular invasion, pretracheal and paratracheal node metastasis, and lateral node metastasis was analyzed.
  
  
  
  Within 231 cases, 69 showed DLN, but only 19 (8.23%) were found with metastasis. In the univariate analysis, DLN metastasis was significantly associated with tumor size (P = 0.023), capsular invasion (P = 0.001), pretracheal or paratracheal node metastasis (P = 0.003) and lateral node metastasis (P = 0.001), while there were no significant correlation between DLN metastasis and gender (P = 0.976), age (P = 0.976), tumor number (P = 0.234) and unilateral or bilateral (P = 0.724). In the multivariate analysis, capsular invasion was an independent risk factor of DLN metastasis (P < 0.05, odds ratio = 10.15).
  
  
  
  Capsular invasion is an independent risk factor of DLN metastasis and DLN metastasis could be used as a predictor of lateral node metastasis. The dissection of DLN in PTC patients is recommended and lateral lymph node should be evaluated for patients with DLN positive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chuan-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Liang
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Lie-Hao
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D000071036:Sentinel Lymph Node / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Delphian lymph node; lateral lymph node; papillary thyroid cancer