TABLE 2.
Comparison of characteristics after initial operation and findings at first reoperation
| Characteristic | BCR-positive group | BCR-negative group | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 26) | (n = 55) | ||
| Age at initial operation (year) | 30.4 (18.3–59.9) | 43.1 (11.8–85.3) | 0.186 |
| Age at first RND (year) | 34.6 (19.9–60.2) | 49.2 (13.1–86.5) | 0.077 |
| Gender (M:F) | 7:19 | 19:36 | 0.604 |
| Primary tumor stage by TNM stage | 0.781 | ||
| I | 16 (61.5) | 31 (56.4) | |
| II | 5 (19.2) | 9 (16.4) | |
| III | 5 (19.2) | 13 (23.6) | |
| IV | 0 (0.0) | 2 (3.6) | |
| Primary tumor characteristics | |||
| Tumor size (cm) | 2.3 (0.8–5.0) | 2.0 (0.7–9.0) | 0.442 |
| Extrathyroidal extension | 12 (46.2) | 27 (49.1) | 0.767 |
| Tumor multifocality | 14 (53.8) | 31 (56.4) | 0.923 |
| Capsular invasion | 9 (35.6) | 30 (54.5) | 0.148 |
| LN metastasis (pN1) | 19 (73.1) | 46 (83.6) | 0.345 |
| Tg level | <0.001*,b | ||
| After ablation (ng/mL) | 0.5 (<0.2–9.7) | 7 (1.6–126.0) | |
| ≤2 ng/mL | 21 (80.8) | 6 (10.9) | |
| >2 ng/mL | 5 (19.2) | 49 (89.1) | |
| Type of first RND | 0.114 | ||
| Focused/completion | 12 (46.2) | 36 (65.5) | |
| Formal dissection | 14 (53.8) | 19 (34.5) | |
| Extent of first RND | 0.144 | ||
| Central compartment only | 4 (15.4) | 4 (7.3) | |
| Lateral compartment only | 20 (76.9) | 37 (67.3) | |
| Central and lateral compartments | 2 (7.7) | 14 (25.5) | |
| No. of LNs excised at first RND | 13 (3–42) | 11 (5–50) | 0.767 |
| No. of positive LNs excised at first RND | 6 (1–12) | 3 (1–17) | 0.039*,b |
| LN ratio (%)a | 43.3 (33.3–53.3) | 32.5 (13.3–60.0) | 0.326 |
| Presence of extranodal extension | 1 (3.8) | 29 (52.7) | <0.001*,c |
| Postreoperation sTg level after first RND (ng/mL) | 0.2 (<0.2–3.0) | 17 (0.9–134.1) | <0.001*,b |
Data are presented as median (range) or n (%). Name of test has been added for each significant variable
BCR-positive biochemical complete remission, BCR-negative no biochemical complete remission, RND reoperative cervical neck dissection, LN lymph node, sTg stimulated thyroglobulin level
aLN ratio = (Number of positive lymph nodes excised/number of lymph nodes excised) × 100
bMann-Whitney U test
cFisher’s Exact test
* Statistically significant at p < 0.05