Table 4.
Biochemical calculation (optimal bCT cut-off for lateral LN metastasis: > 85 pg/mL) and radiological methods (ultrasound or F-DOPA-PET-CT) to predict lateral neck LN metastasis
| Lymph node metastasis in the lateral necka | bCt cut-off > 85 pg/mLb | Ultrasound | F-DOPA-PET-CT |
|---|---|---|---|
| True positive (n) | 16 | 9 | 12 |
| True negative (n) | 13 | 33 | 34 |
| False positive (n) | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| False negative (n) | 0 | 7a | 4b |
| Sensitivity (%) | 100 | 56 | 75 |
| Specificity (%) | 38 | 97 | 100 |
| PPV (%) | 43 | 90 | 100 |
| NPV (%) | 100 | 83 | 89 |
| Accuracy (%) | 58 | 84 | 92 |
F-DOPA-PET-CT [18F]fluoro-dihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography with computed tomography, bCt basal calcitonin level, LN lymph node, PPV positive predictive value, NPV negative predictive value
aPatients had 1–17 positive lateral LNs
bLateral lymph node metastasis was only found in patients with bCt levels ≥ 85 pg/mL