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The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of different modes of resection in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with laryngotracheal invasion. Sixty-four primary PTCs with laryngotracheal invasion between 1964 and 2003 were retrospectively analyzed (17 men and 47 women; mean age, 61.6 years; mean follow-up, 92.3 months). Thirteen curative resections included six pharyngolaryngoesophagectomies, two total laryngectomies, and five circumferential resections (complete surgery). Eighteen patients who were candidates for curative resection refused to undergo complete surgery to avoid functional impairment, especially laryngeal function (incomplete surgery). Thirty-three patients with minimal invasion underwent shave or partial resection (conservative surgery). Clinical outcomes were compared between the three groups. The influence of different types of surgery and invasion was also evaluated by Cox proportional hazard analysis. Three (23.1%) complete, 17 (94.4%) incomplete, and 4 (13.8%) conservative surgery patients died of disease (P

The prognostic value of the sixth edition AJCC/UICC TNM classification is currently unclear.The aim was to evaluate the prognostic value of the sixth edition.We retrospectively assessed 354 primary differentiated thyroid carcinomas (77 men and 277 women; age, 51.2 yr; follow-up, 107.6 months) between 1964 and 2003. Sixty percent of patients underwent lobectomy, 40% underwent subtotal/total thyroidectomy, and only 2% were given radioiodine. There were 153, 104, 86, and 11 patients in fifth stages I, II, III, and IV, and 175, 76, 14, 68, 10, and 11 patients in sixth stages I, II, III, IVA, IVB, and IVC, respectively.New T1-3 had no significant influence. In Cox proportional hazard analysis, T4a and T4b were significantly related to disease-specific survival (DSS). We separately analyzed 68 patients (age 45 yr or older) with extrathyroid extension. These T4 (fifth) tumors were reclassified as 6 T3, 52 T4a, and 10 T4b tumors. The 10-yr DSS rates were 100, 69.3, and 10.0% for T3, T4a, and T4b, respectively. T4b exhibited worse prognoses compared with T4a (P0.0001; hazard ratio, 10.1; 95% confidence interval, 4.1-25.3). Stages I and II in both editions achieved favorable prognoses. The 10-yr DSS rates were 67.0 and 27.3% in fifth stages III and IV, and 100, 74.5, 10.0, and 27.3% in sixth stages III, IVA, IVB, and IVC, respectively. DSS curves differed significantly between all sixth TNM stages (P0.0001).The sixth edition more accurately predicts different outcomes according to the revised criteria for the degree of extrathyroid extension.

We report a case of axillary lymph node metastasis (LNM) from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in a 21-year-old man. The patient presented with bilateral cervical and right axillary lymphadenopathy, and computed tomography (CT) showed a primary tumor of the thyroid and gross lymphadenopathy from the neck to the right axilla. We performed a total thyroidectomy with therapeutic nodal dissection. The resection of the primary thyroid tumor and all the node metastases was curative. Pathological examination confirmed that the resected lesions were PTC and nodal metastases from the primary tumor. Six years after the operation, cervical, upper mediastinal, and axillary lymph node recurrence developed and multiple lung metastases were found on a CT scan. He was treated with radioactive iodine therapy. Axillary LNM from PTC is unusual and seems to be associated with a poor prognosis. Thus, comprehensive treatment strategies are needed to improve the outcome of patients with PTC who present with axillary LNM.