Abstract:
ObjectiveTo compare the clinical features and 131I efficacy of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) except for PTMC.
MethodsPTC patients who were undergoing 131I treatment after total thyroidectomy were divided into the PTMC group (≤ 1.0 cm) and the papillary non-microcarcinoma group (>1.0 cm) according to tumor diameter. The clinical data of both groups were retrospectively analyzed, and the prognoses of the patients were evaluated. The statistical software SPSS Statistics 22.0 was used to analyze the results via t test and chi-squared (χ2) test.
ResultsThe proportion of patients with lymph node and central lymph node metastases in the PTMC group was lower than that in the PTC group. The number of metastatic lymph nodes was less, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=44.23, 23.56, 42.80, all P<0.05). Most of the patients in the PTMC group demonstrated unilateral morbidity (χ2=45.94, P<0.05) and less extranodal infiltrations (χ2=11.22, P<0.05) compared with the patients in the PTC group. The PTMC group included more patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis than the PTC group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=9.08, P<0.05). No significant difference was observed between the two groups with regard to the occurrence of distant metastases and benign diseases, such as diffuse toxic goiter and nodular goiter (χ2=2.16, 0.21, both P>0.05). A total of 197 patients in the two groups achieved clinical remission after treatment. The remission rate in the PTMC group was higher than that in the PTC group. Among the 197 clinical remission cases, 102 patients achieved clinical remission after the first treatment. Although more patients achieved clinical remission in the PTMC group than in the PTC group after the first treatment, no significant difference was noted between the two groups (χ2=3.18, P>0.05).
ConclusionsThe clinical features of PTMC patients differ from those of PTC patients. The overall cure rate of PTMC after 131I treatment is higher than that of PTC. The development of individualized treatment plans for PTMC patients is recommended to achieve good therapeutic effect and prognosis.