Table 21:

Surgical Time and Length of Hospital Stay, Small, Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Intervention	Comparator	Population	Outcome
RFA	Partial thyroidectomy	Adults with symptomatic benign thyroid nodules	Incremental QALYs Incremental costs ICERs ($/QALY)
RFA	Partial thyroidectomy	Adults with AFTNs	Incremental QALYs Incremental costs ICERs ($/QALY)
RFA	Partial thyroidectomya Active surveillance	Adults with small, low-risk papillary thyroid cancer	Incremental QALYs Incremental costs ICERs ($/QALY)

Abbreviations: AFTN, autonomously functioning thyroid nodule; ICER, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio; QALY, quality-adjusted life-year; RFA, radiofrequency ablation.

^aA partial thyroidectomy may be followed by a complete thyroidectomy if pathology assessment of the initial lobectomy shows risk factors, such as angioinvasion or local invasion.^226,227