title: Is Male Gender a Prognostic Factor for Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Male gender is a prognostic factor of poor outcome in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We investigated the prognostic role of male gender in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 2930 patients who underwent surgery at Asan Medical Center for PTC. Clinicopathologic characteristics from the patients' medical records were compared for male and female PTC patients. Independent prognostic factors for recurrence in PTC and PTMC were evaluated after propensity score matching analysis. The median follow-up period was 82 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recurrence and death were more common in male patients with PTC than in female patients with PTC (12.6 vs. 9.6%, p = 0.03 and 2.2 vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001, respectively). However, there was no difference in disease-free survival between male and female PTMC patients (p = 0.57). Multivariate analysis after propensity score matching revealed that male gender is not an independent prognostic factor of recurrence in PTMC (hazard ratio [HR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval 0.75-5.33, p = 0.17), but that it is an independent prognostic factor in PTC >1 cm (HR = 3.06, 95% confidence interval 1.34-6.98, p = 0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male gender is an independent prognostic factor for recurrence in PTC >1 cm, but it is not a prognostic factor in PTMC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yi Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yu Mi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Yon
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Eun
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Yong
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. surgeonckw@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: Ki Wook
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Suck Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013965:Thyroidectomy