Predictors of central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer

INTRODUCTION: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignancy of the thyroid gland and although PTC has excellent prognosis, central lymph node (CLN) metastases are not uncommon. Studies have shown that CLN metastases are associated with an increased recurrence rate. The necessity for prophylactic CLN dissection (pCCND) in clinical lymph node negative (cN0) patients remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine predictors of CLN metastases in cNO PTC patients who underwent prophylactic CLN dissection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical charts of 97 patients with cN0 PTC who had undergone total thyroidectomy (TT) and pCCND were evaluated retrospectively. The relationship between CLN metastases and risk factors were analyzed. RESULTS: CLN metastases were found in 32 (32.9%) patients. Univariate analysis showed that CLN metastases were significantly associated with male sex and tumor size. In multivariate analysis, tumor size greater than 0.7 cm and male sex were independent predictors for CLN metastases. DISCUSSION: Although oncological benefits of the pCCND in cN0 PTC patients remain controversial, tumor size greater than 0.7 cm and male gender may be possible indicators of central lymph node metastasis.