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Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common histological type of differentiated thyroid malignancy. Although the majority of PTC is located in the thyroid lobes, a small minority arise from the thyroid isthmus. The reported incidence of PTC arising in the thyroid isthmus ranges from 1% to 9.2%, probably reflecting variation in the study populations., Purpose: This review aimed to analyze the data about the optimal management of PTC arising in the isthmus., Data Sources: We performed a systematic review of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify eligible studies analyzing surgical management strategies and published outcomes of isthmic PTC., Results: Most reports support that papillary thyroid carcinomas originating in the isthmus are more likely to have multiple foci, invasion of thyroid capsule and adjacent tissues with increased rate of central node involvement, compared to carcinomas located in other parts of the thyroid., Conclusions: The extent of the surgical resection, the role of prophylactic central neck dissection and the extent of central neck dissection in surgery for isthmic PTC remain highly controversial. However, total thyroidectomy and central node dissection may be an appropriate treatment for these patients., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Backround: We investigated the efficacy of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) in detecting malignancy in indeterminate thyroid nodules and evaluated the possible association between TgAb and autoimmunity in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)., Methods: This retrospective, nonrandomized study included 1,646 patients who had undergone preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy to evaluate their thyroid nodules, and then standard total thyroidectomy. Of 194 patients (11.8%) with indeterminate nodules, 61 (31.4%) had PTC and 133 (68.6%) had benign nodules at the final histologic examination., Results: Univariate analysis showed that multifocality (P = .002), bilaterality (P = .003), lymph-node metastasis (P = .030), and capsule penetration (P = .003) were significantly associated with positive TgAb in patients with indeterminate cytology and histopathologic diagnosis of PTC. The multivariate analysis showed that TgAb positivity (P < .001) and preoperative thyroid-stimulating hormone levels (P = .022) were independent predictive factor for PTC diagnosis in patients with indeterminate cytology., Conclusions: Preoperative TgAb could be a marker for PTC in patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules, increasing diagnostic accuracy. TgAb positivity could also influence the clinical assessment and subsequent selection of total thyroidectomy., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aggressiveness of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was evaluated by comparing conventional PTC with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Risk factors associated with differences in clinical and pathologic features were analyzed to provide appropriate surgical management., Methods: A total of 539 patients with papillary carcinoma who underwent total thyroidectomy were retrospectively reviewed. The median follow-up period was 32 months., Results: Of 539 patients, 311 (57.7%) had PTMC, and 228 (42.3%) had conventional PTC. No differences between patients with PTMC and those with PTC were observed in age, gender, and multifocality. PTMC was associated with less frequent bilaterality (P = .002), lymph node metastasis (P < .001), thyroid capsule invasion (P < .001), and disease recurrence (P < .001), and a higher rate of incidental diagnosis (P = .001). There was no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of lymph node metastasis at diagnosis and disease recurrence rate between nonincidental PTMC and conventional PTC (P > .05)., Conclusions: Incidental PTMC had significantly fewer aggressive tumor features. Nonincidental PTMC presented with aggressive characteristics similar to those of conventional PTC and should be treated likewise. The authors suggest routine total thyroidectomy followed by an adequate exploration of the central neck compartment as a safe treatment., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)