Table 1.
Clinico-Pathologic Features of All 246 Papillary Carcinomas with Lymph Node Metastasis
| Characteristic | Number of patients (%) | Characteristic | Number of patients (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | Predominant histologic type of tumor in lymph nodeg | ||
| Median | 36 | Classic PTC | 179 (75%) |
| <45 | 168 (68%) | FVPTC | 11 (4%) |
| >45 | 78 (32%) | Tall cell | 45 (19%) |
| Gender | Poorly differentiated | 3 (1%) | |
| Female | 155 (63%) | Psammoma bodies | 2 (1%) |
| Male | 91 (37%) | Most aggressive PTC subtype in lymph nodeg | |
| Tumor size (cm)a | Classic PTC | 179 (76%) | |
| Median | 1.9 | FVPTC | 11 (5%) |
| <1.5 | 100 (42%) | Tall cell | 45 (19%) |
| >1.5 | 139 (58%) | Extra-nodal extensionh | |
| PTC subtypes | No | 161 (68%) | |
| Classic PTC (87% infiltrative) | 136 (55.3%) | Yes | 75 (32%) |
| FVPTC (16 infiltrative, 7 encapsulated) | 23 (9.3%) | Multicentricityi | |
| Tall cell PTC | 44 (18%) | No | 136 (57%) |
| Microcarcinoma | 35 (14.2%) | Yes | 102 (43%) |
| Otherb | 8 (3.2%) | Thyroid surgery | |
| Tumor capsule | Less than TT | 69 (28%) | |
| Completely encapsulated | 28 (11%) | TT | 177 (72%) |
| Not/partially encapsulated | 218 (89%) | RAI ablation | |
| Vascular invasionc | Yes | 140 (57%) | |
| Absent | 222 (91%) | None | 106 (43%) |
| Present | 22 (9%) | Neck dissection | |
| Extra-thyroid extensiond | Central | 70 (28%) | |
| None | 87 (36%) | Lateral | 63 (26%) |
| Focal | 41 (17%) | Central and Lateral | 86 (35%) |
| Extensive | 115 (47%) | Other | 27 (11%) |
| Marginse | Recurrencej | ||
| Negative | 198 (81%) | Present | 34 (14%) |
| Positive | 46 (19%) | Absent | 202 (86%) |
| Number of metastatic nodes | Status at last FUj | ||
| Median | 6 | DOD | 5 (2%) |
| ≤3 | 95 (39%) | AWD | 16 (7%) |
| >3 | 151 (61%) | NED | 215 (91%) |
| Size of largest metastatic node (cm)f | Follow-up | ||
| Median (range) | 1.3 (0.1–4.5) | Median (range) | 10.8 (0.1–28.8) |
| ≤1 | 103 (44%) | ||
| >1 | 133 (56%) | ||
| Size of largest metastatic focus in lymph node (cm)f | |||
| Median (range) | 1.1 (0.1–4.5) | ||
| ≤1 | 113 (48%) | ||
| >1 | 123 (52%) | ||
Tumor size could not be accurately assessed in seven cases.
Other includes diffuse sclerosing variant and solid variant PTC.
In two cases, angioinvasion could not be accurately assessed.
Extra-thyroid extension could not be evaluated in three patients.
Margin status was not assessable in two cases.
In 10 cases, the size of the largest metastatic node and the largest metastatic foci in lymph node (LN) could not be accurately assessed.
In six cases, the PTC subtype could not be evaluated in the LN because of inadequate LN material (two patients had only psammoma bodies in LN, two cases displayed poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma [PDTC], and one case was considered as PTC progressing toward PDTC in the LN).
In 10 cases, extra-nodal extension was equivocal or could not be assessed because of inadequate material.
Multicentricity defined as >2 foci of carcinoma could not be accurately evaluated in eight cases.
Ten patients were lost for follow-up (FU).
RAI, radioactive iodine; PTC, papillary thyroid carcinoma; FVPTC, follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma; NED, no evidence of disease; AWD, alive with disease; DOD, death of disease; TT, total thyroidectomy.