Thyroid cancer - clinical

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Ian D Hay Department of Medicine 1, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

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Suneetha Kaggal Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

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Geoffrey B Thompson Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

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Objective

To determine whether radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) reduces cause-specific mortality (CSM) or tumor recurrence rates (TRR) after potentially curative bilateral thyroidectomy (BT) in low-risk adult papillary thyroid carcinoma (APTC) patients, we compared postoperative outcomes in 1836 pTNM stage I APTC patients having BT alone with 832 having BT+RRA during two consecutive 25-year periods.

Methods

The THEN cohort (consecutively managed during 1966–1990) comprised 809 patients (36% having BT+RRA) and the NOW cohort (1991–2015) comprised 1859 patients (29% BT+RRA). Analyses of differences in occurrence rates between BT alone and BT+RRA patients were performed with SAS software.

Results

During 1966–1990, when RRA rates rose ten-fold, 20-year CSM after BT alone was 0.6% and after BT+RRA was 1.2% (P = 0.66); during 1991–2015, when RRA rates progressively fell, no PTC deaths occurred in 1859 patients. In the THEN cohort, RRA did not significantly improve TRR at local, regional, or distant sites (P > 0.1), when compared to BT alone. RRA in NOW cohort was administered to 49% of node-positive (pN1) patients and 17% of node-negative (pN0/NX) patients (P < 0.0001); TRR therefore, were examined separately for pN0/NX and pN1 patients. In 1157 pN0/NX cases, 20-year locoregional TRR were 3.1% after BT and were higher (P = 0.049) at 8.6% after BT+RRA. In four pN1 groups, stratified by metastatic nodal burden, RRA did not significantly reduce the locoregional TRR observed after BT with curative intent (P > 0.5).

Conclusions

In a 5-decade experience, RRA administered postoperatively to stage I APTC patients did not reduce either CSM or TRR and should probably not be indicated when such patients undergo potentially curative BT.

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Francesca Orsolini Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Alessandro Prete Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Pierpaolo Falcetta Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Domenico Canale Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Fulvio Basolo Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Greta Alì Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Francesca Manassero Division of Urology, Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Paolo Vitti Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Rossella Elisei Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Eleonora Molinaro Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Introduction

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare endocrine tumor, which can be sporadic or familial, as a component of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2 (MEN2). Overall, 10% of MTC cases have already developed at presentation or will develop metastasis during follow-up. Testicular metastases are exceptional and only one case of unilateral testis involvement by metastatic MTC has been already reported in literature. We described the first known case of asymptomatic bilateral testicular MTC metastases, discovered incidentally at testicular ultrasound (US) performed for unrelated reasons.

Case presentation

A Latin American 32-year-old man with MEN 2A syndrome and metastatic MTC underwent andrological and urological examination due to premature ejaculation. US imaging showed two symmetrical hypoechoic lesions involving both testes. Suspecting a bilateral testicular cancer, the patient underwent excision biopsy of both testicular lesions. Histopathology and immunohistochemical examinations documented metastatic MTC of both testicular lesions.

Conclusion

Beyond its rarity, testis should be considered as a potential metastatic site of MTC, especially in patients with advanced disease.

Established facts

  • Distant metastases are present at the diagnosis in 10–15% of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).

  • Testicular metastases are anecdotal. Only one case of unilateral testis involvement by metastatic MTC has been reported in the literature.

Novel insights

  • Testis should be considered as a possible site of metastases in patients with diffuse metastatic MTC.

  • Testicular ultrasound could be considered as an useful tool for the evaluation and follow-up of metastatic MTC.

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Lucie Allard Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Unité Thyroïde-Tumeurs Endocrines, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Jérôme Alexandre Denis Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Service de Biochimie Endocrinienne et Oncologique, UF Oncobiologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Gaëlle Godiris Petit Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Service de Chirurgie Générale, Viscérale et Endocrinienne, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Gabrielle Deniziaut Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Service d’Anatomo-Pathologie, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Cécile Ghander Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Unité Thyroïde-Tumeurs Endocrines, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Elise Mathy Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Unité Thyroïde-Tumeurs Endocrines, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Erell Guillerm Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, UF d’Onco-Angiogénétique et Génomique des Tumeurs Solides, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Charlotte Lussey-Lepoutre Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Service de Médecine Nucléaire, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Laurence Leenhardt Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Unité Thyroïde-Tumeurs Endocrines, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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Camille Buffet Sorbonne Université, GRC n°16, GRC Tumeurs Thyroïdiennes, Unité Thyroïde-Tumeurs Endocrines, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

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An 87-year-old woman was referred to our department for a 15 cm right-sided cervical tumor with bleeding and skin ulceration, developed on a 6 cm papillary thyroid carcinoma diagnosed two years earlier. Surprisingly, there were no other compressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, but successfully, total thyroidectomy and neck dissection were performed. There were no poorly differentiated or anaplastic components in the final histological analysis. Impressive dehiscence occurred shortly after surgery and was also successfully managed. Our case highlights the benefit of considering surgery in the context of a tertiary care center even for an apparent massive aggressive cervical mass and despite old age.

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Xian Qiu Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China

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Lin Cheng Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China

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Ri Sa Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China
Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China

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Hao Fu Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China
Department of Nuclear Medicine & Minnan PET Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

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Yuchen Jin Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China
Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA

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Libo Chen Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China

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Objective

Sorafenib and lenvatinib have been recommended as standard tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for progressive radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma (RR-DTC). However, their efficacy remains limited with unresolved drug resistance. Therefore, we conceived this open-label study based on real-world evidence to investigate the efficacy and safety of apatinib in patients with progressive RR-DTC.

Methods

Off-label use of apatinib as either initial treatment or salvage treatment for sorafenib resistance was investigated. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and the secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and safety.

Results

For all 28 enrolled patients, the median PFS was 15.1 months, with an ORR of 69.6%. The median OS was not reached at the data cut-off. In detail, the median PFS of 17.3 months and the ORR of 75% were determined in patients with TKI-naive RR-DTC (initial treatment group, n  = 14). And, in patients with first-line sorafenib-resistant RR-DTC (salvage treatment group, n  = 14), a median PFS of 12.0 months was reached, with an ORR of 45.5%. In the salvage treatment group, the median OS from the start of apatinib administration was 20.6 months, reaching 89.1 months from sorafenib treatment initiation. Adverse events at grade 3 or higher occurred in 64.3% of all subjects treated with apatinib.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that apatinib shows promise against RR-DTC with tolerable toxicity, representing a novel initial treatment for progressive RR-DTC and effective salvage treatment for RR-DTC resistant to sorafenib.

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Junyu Tong Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Maomei Ruan Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Yuchen Jin Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Hao Fu Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Lin Cheng Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Qiong Luo Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Zhiyan Liu Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
Department of Pathology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Zhongwei Lv Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Libo Chen Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

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Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) is a rare thyroid carcinoma originating from follicular epithelial cells. No explicit consensus can be achieved to date due to sparse clinical data, potentially compromising the outcomes of patients. In this comprehensive review from a clinician’s perspective, the epidemiology and prognosis are described, diagnosis based on manifestations, pathology, and medical imaging are discussed, and both traditional and emerging therapeutics are addressed as well. Turin consensus remains the mainstay diagnostic criteria for PDTC, and individualized assessments are decisive for treatment option. The prognosis is optimal if complete resection is performed at early stage but dismal in nearly half of patients with locally advanced and/or distant metastatic diseases, in which adjuvant therapies such as 131I therapy, external beam radiation therapy, and chemotherapy should be incorporated. Emerging therapeutics including molecular targeted therapy, differentiation therapy, and immunotherapy deserve further investigations to improve the prognosis of PDTC patients with advanced disease.

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Stéphane Bardet Department of Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Unit, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France

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Renaud Ciappuccini Department of Nuclear Medicine and Thyroid Unit, Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France

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Livia Lamartina Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

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Sophie Leboulleux Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

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Introduction

Serum calcitonin (CT) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are valuable tumour markers in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Both markers most often evolve in parallel after treatment. Selpercatinib (LOXO-292) is a highly selective RET kinase inhibitor indicated in advanced RET-mutant MTC patients.

Cases presentation

In this study, we report two observations of RET-mutant progressive metastatic and symptomatic MTC patients who were treated with selpercatinib. Patient 1, a 61-year-old man, presented dyspnoea and diarrhoea at selpercatinib initiation with large neck lymph nodes and lung metastases. Patient 2, a 76-year-old man, had acute discomfort with flush and diarrhoea, with small but diffuse bone and liver disease. Both patients had an objective tumour response with rapid clinical improvement and RECIST 1.1 response (−90%) in patient 1. A rapid dramatic decrease in CT level was observed in both patients (−99% in both patients), while CEA levels gradually and sustainably increased after selpercatinib initiation (+207% at cycle 15 in patient 1 and + 835% at cycle 14 in patient 2). In both patients, 18FDG PET/CT did not show any abnormal uptake that could explain the CEA increase. Colonoscopy and oesogastric fibroscopy showed colonic polyposis with mild oesophagitis and gastritis in patient 1 and were normal in patient 2.

Conclusion

These observations show an unusual and lasting increase in serum CEA in two MTC patients who exhibited an objective tumour response to selpercatinib. The mechanism behind this unexpected rise in CEA level remains unknown. The frequency of this evolving profile will be determined in further phase III studies.

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Furio Pacini Section of Endocrinology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

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Dagmar Fuhrer Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

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Rossella Elisei Section of Endocrinology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

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Daria Handkiewicz-Junak Department of Nuclear Medicine and Endocrine Oncology, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Gliwice, Poland

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Sophie Leboulleux Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus and University Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, Cedex, France

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Markus Luster Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany

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Martin Schlumberger Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus and University Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, Cedex, France

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Johannes W Smit Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands

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Modern use of post-operative radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) should be implemented in line with patients’ risk stratification. Although beneficial effects of radioiodine are undisputed in high-risk patients, controversy remains in intermediate-risk and some low-risk patients. Since the last consensus on post-surgical use of RAI in DTC patients, new retrospective data and results of prospective randomized trials have been published, which have allowed the development of a new European Thyroid Association (ETA) statement for the indications of post-surgical RAI therapy in DTC. Questions about which patients are candidates for RAI therapy, which activities of RAI can be used, and which modalities of pre-treatment patient preparation should be used are addressed in the present guidelines.

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Daniela Cavaco Department of Endocrinology, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, EPE, Lisbon, Portugal

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Ana Filipa Martins Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal

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Rafael Cabrera Department of Patology, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, EPE, Lisbon, Portugal

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Helena Vilar Department of Endocrinology, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, EPE, Lisbon, Portugal

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Valeriano Leite Department of Endocrinology, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, EPE, Lisbon, Portugal
Nova Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal

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Introduction

Diffuse sclerosing variant of PTC (DSV-PTC) is an uncommon subtype of thyroid cancer. Although an aggressive behavior is often recognized, prognostic significance is still under debate.

Objectives

To describe the clinicopathological features and outcomes of a series of DSV-PTC patients.

Methods

Retrospective data collection involving 33 patients diagnosed with DSV-PTC followed at the Endocrine Department of the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Lisbon between 1981 and 2020.

Results

Twenty-six patients (78.8%) were females with a mean age at presentation of 29.4 ± 11.7 years old. Mean time of follow-up was 19.5 ± 10.6 years (range 0.5–39). Histologically, bilateral tumors were present in 72.7% patients (n  = 24), thyroid capsular invasion was documented in 57.6% (n  = 19), 45.4% (n  = 15) had extrathyroidal extension, and 42.4% (n  = 14) had lymphovascular invasion. Most patients were staged pT3 (42.4%, n  = 14) and pN1 (81.8%, n  = 27). Median lymph nodes resected were 16. None of the patients showed distant metastases at presentation. All patients were treated at least once with 131I. During follow-up, four patients (14.8%), with persistent neck disease, were diagnosed with distant metastases, all of them in the lung. Two patients (1.8%) presented recurrent disease in the neck after being considered with no evidence of disease. At the last appointment, 18 patients (54.5%) were in remission, 4 (12.1%) had biochemical evidence of disease, 6 had structural disease, and for 5 patients disease status was considered as undetermined. There was no disease related mortality.

Discussion/conclusion

Our study confirms that DSV-PTC is diagnosed more often in young patients and exhibits a local extensive disease at presentation. On the other hand, even in the presence of distant metastases, no patient died during follow-up.

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Takaaki Konishi Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Michimasa Fujiogi Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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Nobuaki Michihata Department of Health Services Research, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Takayoshi Niwa Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Kojiro Morita Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Health Services, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

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Hiroki Matsui Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Kiyohide Fushimi Department of Health Policy and Informatics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School, Tokyo, Japan

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Masahiko Tanabe Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Yasuyuki Seto Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Hideo Yasunaga Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

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Introduction

Recent studies have shown worse post-operative outcomes following several surgeries in underweight or obese patients. However, the association between body mass index (BMI) and short-term outcomes following thyroid cancer surgery remains unclear because of the small number of patients, deficits in background data known as risk factors (e.g. cancer stage, operative procedure, intraoperative device use and hospital volume) and categorisation of BMI.

Methods

We identified patients who underwent thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer from July 2010 to March 2017 using a Japanese nationwide inpatient database. We used restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses to investigate potential non-linear associations between BMI (without categorisation) and outcomes: post-operative complications (local and general), duration of anaesthesia, post-operative length of hospital stay and hospitalisation costs. The analyses were adjusted for demographic and clinical backgrounds including the above-stated factors. We also performed multivariable regression analyses for the outcomes with categorisation of BMI.

Results

Among 59,671 eligible patients, the median BMI was 22.9 kg/m2 (interquartile range (IQR), 20.7–25.6 kg/m2). In total, 3860 patients (6.5%) had local complications and 787 patients (1.3%) had general complications. Although there were no significant associations with local complications, such as bleeding, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and surgical site infection, the occurrence of general complications was significantly associated with higher BMI. BMI showed a linear association with the duration of anaesthesia and U-shaped associations with post-operative length of stay and hospitalisation costs. The lowest points of the U-shaped curves occurred at a BMI of approximately 24 kg/m2. The multivariate regression analyses showed consistent results with the RCS analyses.

Discussion/conclusion

Whereas RCS analyses revealed no significant associations between BMI and post-operative local complications, obesity was significantly associated with the occurrence of general complications. The linear association between BMI and duration of anaesthesia corresponds to previous studies. Although post-operative length of stay and total hospitalisation costs demonstrated U-shaped associations, the slight differences would not be clinically important. Even if surgeons must pay attention to general complications in obese patients undergoing thyroid cancer surgery as well as other surgeries, underweight and overweight patients can undergo thyroidectomy as safely as patients with normal BMI.

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Andries H Groen Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

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Deborah van Dijk Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

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Wim Sluiter Department of Endocrinology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

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Thera P Links Department of Endocrinology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

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Hendrik P Bijl Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

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John T M Plukker Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

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Background

The role of postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in patients with residual iodine refractory-differentiated thyroid cancer (IR-DTC) is still inconclusive. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate locoregional control (LRC) and overall survival (OS), and potential side effects after postoperative EBRT for both microscopic and macroscopic non-radically resected, locally advanced IR-DTC.

Methods

Between 1990 and 2016, 49 patients with locally advanced IR-DTC received EBRT for microscopic (R1; n  = 28) or macroscopic (R2; n  = 21) locoregional residual disease. For more insight into the added effect of EBRT, we performed an intrapatient sub-analysis in 32 patients who had undergone more than 1 surgical intervention, comparing LRC after primary, curative-intended surgery with LRC after repeated surgery plus EBRT. To estimate LRC and OS, we used Kaplan–Meier curves. From 2007 onward, we prospectively recorded toxicity data in our head and neck cancer database (n  = 10).

Results

LRC rates 5 years after EBRT were higher for R1 (84.3%) than for R2 (44.9%) residual disease (P  = 0.016). The 5-year OS rate after EBRT was 72.1% for R1 and 33.1% for R2 disease (P  = 0.003). In the intrapatient analysis (n  = 32), LRC rates were 6.3% 5 years after only initial surgery and 77.9% after repeated surgery with EBRT (P < 0.001). Acute toxicity was limited to grade I and II xerostomia, mucositis, and hoarseness; only one patient developed late grade III dysphagia.

Conclusions

Postoperative EBRT is associated with long-lasting LRC and OS with acceptable toxicity in patients with locally advanced IR-DTC, especially in microscopic residual disease.

Open access