Prognostic factors for recurrence in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background The prognostic factors for tumor recurrence and mortality of patients diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) with immediate surgery in Colombia has not been reported. Objective To retrospectively evaluate the risk factors for recurrence and survival at 10 years in patients with the diagnosis of PTC treated at Fundacion Santa Fe deBogota (FSFB). Methods A total of 486 patients with thyroid surgery accompanied by medical follow-up were recruited. Demographic, clinical, and pathological variables were followed-up for a median period of 10 years. Results The most significant variables for recurrence were tumors with > 4 cm of size (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7-55) and extrathyroidal spread (HR = 26.7; 95% CI = 3.1-228). Conclusion PTC in our population has low rates of mortality (0.6%) and recurrence (9.6%), with an average time of recurrence of 3 years. Size of the lesion, positive surgical margins, extrathyroidal spread, and high postoperative serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level act as prognostic factors that determine the likelihood of recurrence. Unlike other studies, the influence of age and gender does not act as a prognostic factor.