Table 1.
The clinical characteristics of thyroid cancer patients with different lymph node stage.
| Characteristics | N0 | NX | N1a | N1b | N1NOS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | 1,069 | 464 | 322 | 1,094 | 249 | ||||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | ||
| Age | <55 | 217 | 20.2 | 53 | 11.4 | 91 | 28.2 | 355 | 32.4 | 71 | 28.5 |
| >55 | 852 | 79.7 | 411 | 88.6 | 231 | 71.7 | 739 | 67.6 | 178 | 71.5 | |
| Gender | Male | 405 | 37.8 | 182 | 39.2 | 145 | 45 | 570 | 52.1 | 133 | 53.4 |
| Female | 664 | 62.1 | 282 | 60.8 | 177 | 55 | 524 | 47.9 | 116 | 46.6 | |
| Race | White | 733 | 68.6 | 319 | 68.8 | 255 | 79.2 | 888 | 81.2 | 188 | 75.5 |
| Black | 151 | 14.1 | 66 | 14.2 | 29 | 9 | 71 | 6.5 | 20 | 8 | |
| Others | 183 | 17.1 | 75 | 16.2 | 37 | 11.5 | 132 | 12.1 | 41 | 16.5 | |
| Unknown | 2 | 0.2 | 4 | 0.9 | 1 | 0.3 | 3 | 0.3 | - | 0 | |
| Tumor size | TX | 155 | 14.5 | 239 | 51.5 | 20 | 6.2 | 96 | 8.8 | 29 | 11.6 |
| T0 | 49 | 4.6 | 15 | 3.2 | 3 | 0.9 | 10 | 0.9 | 3 | 1.2 | |
| T1 | 144 | 13.5 | 7 | 1.5 | 26 | 8.1 | 57 | 5.2 | 14 | 5.6 | |
| T2 | 141 | 13.2 | 19 | 4.1 | 28 | 8.7 | 51 | 4.7 | 7 | 2.8 | |
| T3 | 238 | 22.3 | 29 | 6.3 | 95 | 29.5 | 264 | 24.1 | 47 | 18.9 | |
| T4a | 96 | 9 | 33 | 7.1 | 52 | 16.1 | 208 | 19 | 44 | 4.4 | |
| T4b | 228 | 21.3 | 92 | 19.8 | 93 | 28.9 | 370 | 33.8 | 89 | 35.7 | |
| T4NOS | 18 | 1.7 | 30 | 6.5 | 5 | 1.6 | 38 | 3.5 | 16 | 6.4 | |
| Extrathyroid extension | No | 548 | 51.3 | 81 | 17.5 | 105 | 32.6 | 295 | 27 | 68 | 27.3 |
| Yes | 402 | 37.6 | 127 | 27.4 | 198 | 61.5 | 700 | 64 | 146 | 58.6 | |
| Unknown | 119 | 11.1 | 256 | 55.2 | 19 | 5.9 | 99 | 9 | 35 | 14.1 | |
| Thyroid cancer specific death | Alive | 443 | 41.4 | 139 | 30 | 144 | 44.7 | 426 | 38.9 | 99 | 39.8 |
| Death | 388 | 36.3 | 223 | 48.1 | 124 | 38.5 | 480 | 43.9 | 115 | 46.2 | |
| Unknown | 238 | 22.3 | 102 | 22 | 54 | 16.8 | 188 | 17.2 | 35 | 14.1 | |
| Married | Single (never married) | 169 | 15.9 | 74 | 15.9 | 50 | 15.5 | 228 | 20.8 | 53 | 21.3 |
| Separated | 13 | 1.2 | 4 | 0.8 | - | 0 | 16 | 1.5 | 2 | 0.8 | |
| Married (including common law) | 549 | 51.4 | 206 | 44.4 | 190 | 59 | 608 | 55.6 | 123 | 49.4 | |
| Widowed | 202 | 18.9 | 111 | 23.9 | 49 | 15.2 | 135 | 12.3 | 30 | 12 | |
| Divorced | 90 | 8.4 | 32 | 6.9 | 22 | 6.8 | 71 | 6.5 | 27 | 10.8 | |
| Unmarried or Domestic Partner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.8 | |
| Unknown | 45 | 4.2 | 36 | 7.8 | 10 | 3.1 | 35 | 3.2 | 12 | 4.8 | |
According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual 6th Edition, tumor size was classified into 8 groups as follows: Primary tumor cannot be assessed (TX); No evidence of primary tumor (T0); Tumor 2 cm or less in greatest dimension limited to the thyroid (T1); Tumor more than 2 cm but not more than 4cm in greatest dimension limited to the thyroid (T2); Primary tumor diameter >4 cm limited to the thyroid or with minimal extrathyroidal extension (T3); Tumor of any size extending beyond the thyroid capsule to invade subcutaneous soft tissues, larynx, trachea, esophagus, or recurrent laryngeal nerve (T4a); Tumor invades prevertebral fascia or encases carotid artery or mediastinal vessels (T4b); Extrathyroidal invasion but not otherwise specified (T4NOS).