Incidental thyroid papillary microcarcinoma: survival and follow-up

Abstract

Objectives/hypothesis: The aim was to study the survival of incidental thyroid papillary microcarcinoma patients treated with surgery for benign thyroid disease to validate absence of oncological follow-up and reduce unnecessary health expenses.

Study design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: We analyzed patient's files and interviewed 252 patients by telephone whose cases were submitted to the multidisciplinary meeting of thyroid pathology in Strasbourg, France, for incidental thyroid papillary microcarcinoma without clinical lymph node involvement, between January 1996 and December 2012.

Results: Thirteen patients (5.8%) died while the data were being collected; however, none of the deaths were due to the thyroid pathology, and no patients showed signs of relapse of the thyroidectomy or cervical lymph node level.

Conclusions: Our retrospective study shows that patients with incidental localized thyroid papillary microcarcinoma who underwent surgery without radioactive iodine treatment have an identical survival compared to the general population at the same age to validate absence of oncological follow-up and reduce unnecessary health expenses.

Level of evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 129:1722-1726, 2019.

Keywords: Thyroid papillary microcarcinoma; survival; thyroid lobo-isthmectomy; total thyroidectomy.