Prognostic factors in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer patients with pulmonary metastases

Aim: This study was aimed at identifying the prognostic factors predicting remission in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients presenting with pulmonary metastases. Little is known about the prognostic factors in reference to pediatric DTC patients presenting with pulmonary metastases. Methods: Fifty-three DTC patients aged <= 21 years were diagnosed with pulmonary metastases at initial presentation. The demographic and disease characteristics were compared between the patients who achieved remission and those who did not. Results: During the median follow-up of 72 months, 38 patients became disease free, 14 patients had biochemically and/or structurally persistent disease, and one patient died due to disease progression. Patient age >15 years, presence of macronodular pulmonary metastases, and surgical methods lesser than total/near-total thyroidectomy were identified as factors associated with reduced odds of remission. Conclusion: This study describes the disease course and depicts the disease related prognostic factors in pediatric DTC patients with pulmonary metastases.