Table 1.
Description of the Cohort
| Age (years) | |
| Mean ± SD | 40 ± 14 |
| Median | 39 |
| Range | 16–78 |
| Gender | |
| Female | 78% |
| Histology | |
| Papillary | 96% |
| Poorly differentiated | 2% |
| Follicular | 2% |
| Tumor size (cm) | |
| Mean ± SD | 1.9 ± 1.3 |
| Median | 1.6 |
| Range | 0.2–9.0 |
| Extent of neck dissection at thyroidectomy | |
| Central only | 34% |
| Lateral only | 10% |
| Both central and lateral compartments | 13% |
| No lymph node dissection | 43% |
| AJCC stage | |
| I | 72% |
| II | 4% |
| III | 14% |
| IVa | 10% |
| ATA initial risk classification | |
| Low | 27% |
| Intermediate | 65% |
| High | 8% |
| Response to therapy classification | |
| Excellent | 1% |
| Acceptable | 67% |
| Incomplete | 24% |
| Cannot classify | 8% |
| RAI ablation | |
| Yes | 84% |
| No | 16% |
| 131I activity for ablation (mCi) | |
| Mean ± SD | 126 ± 45 |
| Median | 146 |
| Range | 28–350 |
| Follow-up duration (years) | |
| Mean ± SD | 7 ± 5 |
| Median | 5 |
| Range | 2–37 |
| Basal thyroglobulin at the time of first postoperative ultrasound (ng/mL) | |
| Mean ± SD | 4.8 ± 3.0 |
| Median | 0.6 |
| Range | <0.6–480 |
| Clinical status at final follow-up | |
| No evidence of disease | 59% |
| No evidence of disease after additional therapy | 11% |
| Biochemical persistent/recurrent disease | 17% |
| Structural persistent/recurrent disease | 13% |
| Disease-specific death | 0% |
| Number of ultrasounds on follow-up | |
| Mean ± SD | 5 ± 2 |
| Median | 4 |
| Range | 3–16 |
| Time from initial surgery to first postoperative ultrasound done at MSKCC (months) | |
| Mean ± SD | 33 ± 46 |
| Median | 18 |
| Range | 3–312 |
| Increase in size of at least one thyroid bed nodule over follow-up | 9% |
SD, standard deviation; AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer; ATA, American Thyroid Association; RAI, radioactive iodine; MSKCC, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.