Hemithyroidectomy for Thyroid Cancer: A Review

Optimal Surgical Approaches for Thyroid Cancer: A Comparative Analysis of Efficacy and Complications

BACKGROUND Completion thyroidectomy (CTx) is performed following hemithyroidectomy (HTx) when the risk of malignancy persists or is discovered postoperatively. Different surgical approaches, including CTx after HTx (CTx-HTx), total thyroidectomy (TTx), and revision surgery after TTx (RTx-TTx), offer varying risks and benefits, including pathological outcomes and complication rates. Understanding the predictors and rates of malignancy in these procedures is crucial for optimizing surgical management of thyroid disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study analyzed data from January 2014 to October 2019, including 60 patients each in the CTx-HTx and TTx groups, and 47 in the RTx-TTx group. The CTx-HTx group was subdivided based on benign or malignant findings in CTx specimens. Clinicodemographic data and pathological features such as tumor type, size, side, capsular and vascular invasion, extrathyroidal spread, multifocality, and lymph node metastasis were reviewed. RESULTS Age and sex distributions were similar across groups. In the CTx-HTx group, 76.7% of specimens were benign and 23.3% malignant. No significant predictors of malignancy were found between the benign and malignant subgroups in univariate and multivariable analyses. In the TTx group, 75.0% of initial lobes and 13.3% of contralateral lobes were malignant. TTx was associated with a significant postoperative decrease in calcium and longer hospital stays. Multivariable analysis identified TTx as an independent risk factor for hypocalcemia. CONCLUSIONS Reducing overtreatment in thyroid cancer may involve limiting CTx after HTx and considering more conservative initial surgeries, particularly when indications for TTx are not definitive.

Excellent Response to Therapy Occurs for Most Patients With Thyroid Cancer Treated With Lobectomy

INTRODUCTION

American Thyroid Association (ATA) Guidelines for Management of Thyroid Nodules and Thyroid Cancer indicate that thyroid lobectomy (TL) or total thyroidectomy (TT) are appropriate surgery for low- and intermediate-risk well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. We sought to determine outcomes of TL or TT by ATA response to therapy (RTT) classification.

METHODS

This is a single-institution retrospective cohort study of adults with unilateral suspicious or malignant thyroid nodules under 4 cm from January 2016 through December 2021. Our primary outcome was ATA RTT.

RESULTS

During the study period, 118 met inclusion criteria: 37 (31%) underwent TL and 81 (69%) TT. Of the TL patients, 7 (19%) underwent completion thyroidectomy. Response to therapy (RTT) was similar with TT versus TL: excellent response 56 (69%) versus 30 (81%), indeterminate response 20 (25%) versus 5 (14%), and biochemically incomplete response 5 (6%) versus 2 (5%), P = 0.20. There were no differences between the groups for age, sex, race or ethnicity, tumor size, histologic type, or complications. Thyroidectomy (TT) was associated with multiple nodules 47% versus 22% for TL (P = 0.009), bilateral nodules 43% versus 16% (P = 0.004), central neck lymph nodes removed median 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 1-8) versus 0 (IQR 0-2) P < 0.001, lymph node metastases median 0 (IQR 0-1) versus 0 (0-0) P = 0.02. Median follow-up was 32.5 mo (IQR 17-56 mo) and was similar between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with TL for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma without high-risk features have an RTT similar to patients undergoing TT. In this cohort, 81% of patients treated with TL have not required additional intervention.

Differentiated thyroid cancer: a focus on post-operative thyroid hormone replacement and thyrotropin suppression therapy

PURPOSE

This review focuses on post-operative thyroid hormone replacement and thyrotropin suppression therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

METHODS

A clinical review.

RESULTS

Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC), including papillary and follicular thyroid cancers, have an excellent prognosis and their management leverages a unique set of clinical tools arising from homology to the normal thyroid follicular cell. Surgery is the cornerstone of initial management, and post-operative care often requires thyroid hormone replacement therapy, which may be approached with the intent of physiologic normalization or used pharmacologically to suppress TSH as part of a DTC treatment.

CONCLUSION

Management of DTC and approaches to TSH suppression are tailored to an individual's risk of DTC recurrence and are adjusted to a patient's clinical status and comorbidities over time with the goal of mitigating risk and maximizing benefit.

Childhood Malignancies-Clinico-demographic Profile of Patients Attending the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at a Tertiary Care Centre in North-East India

INTRODUCTION

Malignancies in children are different from those found in adults and are a significant cause of childhood mortality.They have varied clinical presentation depending on site and type of disease.It is essential to recognize the early signs and symptoms of malignancies in childhood, especially those involving head and neck region, so as to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity.

MATERIALS

A total of 2384 children were admitted over a period of 7 years. Out of these, 1004 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were chosen for further evaluation.They were thoroughly evaluated by undertaking a detailed history and clinical examination.Whenever required, additional investigations were performed.After carrying out the necessary investigations, the cases were accordingly managed. Data was evaluated using proper statistical tools.

RESULTS

Out of 1004 cases fulfilling the inclusion criteria, 42 turned out to be malignant, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.2. Malignancies in children were more common in the age group of 11-18 years, followed by 1-5 years,6-10 years and 0-1 years,with rates of 59.5%, 21.4%, 16.7% and 2.4% respectively. A wide variety of tumour types were recorded,e.g.,Hodgkin's lymphoma,non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,acute leukemia,papillary carcinoma thyroid, nasopharyngeal carcinoma,Langerhans cell histiocytosis,rhabdomyosarcoma, olfactory neuroblastoma and salivary gland neoplasm.

CONCLUSION

Incidence of head and neck tumors in pediatric age group was found to be 1.76% with lymphoma being the most frequent.Commonest age of presentation was above 10 years. There was an overall female predominance with a male:female ratio of 1:1.2. Awareness of a potential malignancy and careful follow-up of children with suspicious head and neck cancers is mandatory for early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

[Modern aspects influencing the management of patients with papillary thyroid cancer]

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common malignant tumor of the endocrine glands and accounts to 3% of the total structure of oncological morbidity. Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common histological variant of thyroid malignancies. It accounts for about 85% of all cases of thyroid cancer. Despite good postoperative results and excellent survival compared to many other malignancies, tumor metastases to the paratracheal lymph nodes are quite common. This review of the literature considers the current personalized approach to patients with papillary thyroid cancer and current aspects influencing the management of patients with PTC.

A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing tumor progression and complications between radiofrequency ablation and thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most frequent thyroid cancers worldwide. The efficacy and acceptability of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of PTC have been intensively studied. The aim of this study is to focus on extra detailed that may influent for PTC or papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified a total of 1,987 records of a primary literature searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar by key words, from 2000 to 2022. The outcome of studies included complication, costs, and local tumor progression. After scrutiny screening and full-text assessment, six studies were included in the systematic review. Heterogeneity was estimated using I2, and the quality of evidence was assessed for each outcome using the GRADE guidelines.

RESULTS

Our review enrolled 1,708 patients reported in six articles in the final analysis. There were 397 men and 1,311 women in the analysis. Two of these studies involved PTC and four focused on PTMC. There were 859 patients in the RFA group and 849 patients in the thyroidectomy group. By contrast, the tumor progression of RFA group was as same as that surgical groups [odds ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.52-3.29; heterogeneity (I2 statistic), 0%, p = 0.85]. The risk of complication rates was significantly lower in the RFA group than that in the surgical group [odds ratio, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.09-0.35; heterogeneity (I2 statistic), 40%, p = 0.14].

CONCLUSIONS

RFA is a safe procedure with a certain outcome for PTC. RFA can achieve a good efficacy and has a lower risk of major complications.

Changes in Thyroid Antibodies after Microwave Ablation of Thyroid Nodules

PURPOSE

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a minimally invasive method for the thermal ablation of benign thyroid nodules and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and has shown promising results. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of MWA on thyroid antibodies and associated influencing factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 119 patients, including 69 with benign thyroid nodules and 50 with PTC, underwent MWA between June 2019 and June 2021. The serum levels of (free) triiodothyronine, (free) thyroxine, thyrotropin, and antibodies against Tg (TGAb), thyrotropin receptors (TRAb), and thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) were measured during the follow up.

RESULTS

One month after ablation, three patients (4.3%) in the benign group had hypothyroidism, and one (1.4%) had hyperthyroidism. Four patients (5.8%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, and two (2.9%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Among the PTC patients, two (4%) had hypothyroidism, and one (2%) had hyperthyroidism. Two patients (4%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, and one (2%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism. In the benign group, among patients with normal preablation antibodies, the postablation TGAb abnormal rate was 12.7%, the TPOAb level was 4.8%, and the TRAb level was 0%. Among PTC patients, the postablation TGAb abnormal rate was 11.4%, the TPOAb level was 8.7%, and the TRAb level was 4.0%. The cutoff value of preablation TGAb for predicting postoperative antibody abnormalities was 19.0 IU/mL, while that of TPOAb was 11.4 IU/mL.

CONCLUSIONS

MWA of thyroid nodules had little influence on thyroid function and antibodies. Elevations in TGAb, TPOAb, and TRAb beyond the normal ranges after MWA may be related to high preablation levels of TGAb and TPOAb.

Patient Reported Outcome Measures of Health-Related Quality of Life and Asthenia after Thyroidectomy

BACKGROUND

After thyroidectomy some patients experience a chronic fatigue syndrome called asthenia. The purpose of this study was to determine the post-operative health related quality of life (HRQOL) and risk of asthenia in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

METHODS

A single institution prospective observational cohort study of adults undergoing thyroidectomy from September 2016 to July 2019 with four HRQOL surveys: preoperative baseline, 2 wk-, 6 mo- and 12 mo-postoperatively. Patients were surveyed using the Short Form 36 version 2 and Brief Fatigue Inventory. Asthenia was defined as Brief Fatigue Inventory > 60 at 12 mo. HRQOL was compared between patients undergoing thyroid lobectomy (TL) or total thyroidectomy (TT) with benign (-B) or malignant (-Ca) final pathology.

RESULTS

A total of 182 patients were included: 67 (37%) with TL-B, 32 (17%) with TL-Ca, 40 (22%) with TT-B, and 43 (24%) with TT-Ca. The incidence of asthenia was 42% for TT and 4% for TL. In the TL-B group, 2 patients (3%) developed asthenia, compared with 2 patients (6.25%) in the TL-Ca group, 14 patients (35%) in the TT-B group, and 21 (48.8%) in the TT-Ca group (P = 0.0001). The odds ratio of asthenia for TT compared to TL was 10.4 (95% CI 3.86-28.16) and for patients with malignancy compared to benign disease was 2.05 (95% CI 1.17-3.61).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing TT have a higher risk of developing asthenia than those undergoing TL, particularly if the final pathology shows malignancy.

Controversy: For or against thyroid lobectomy in>1cm differentiated thyroid cancer?

In this controversy article, the respective advantages of lobectomy vs. total thyroidectomy in differentiated thyroid cancers are argued. The authors conclude that lobectomy has the same oncological prognosis as thyroidectomy in terms of specific survival or recurrence, in case of low risk of recurrence (T1-2N0). However, as a precaution, and taking into account current data, thyroidectomy is recommended in N0 thyroid papillary cancers with aggressive subtype, with even minimal infiltration of perithyroid tissue and/or vascular invasion, and in N1 cancers with more than 5 lymphadenopathies or lymphadenopathies with a major axis greater than or equal to 0.2cm. Other forms of papillary cancer should be treated with lobectomy, as risk of morbidity is low and hospital stay is short. Lobectomy allows reliable monitoring, especially by ultrasound. On the other hand, total thyroidectomy, despite a higher rate of surgical complications due to the risk of recurrent paralysis and permanent hypoparathyroidism, is nevertheless preferable to lobectomy. Indeed lobectomy is not always avoiding hormone replacement therapy, for more precise monitoring by thyroglobulin assay, which is an uninterpretable tool after lobectomy but allows early diagnosis of local or metastatic recurrence with reducing mortality. Thus, in situations where the diagnostic criteria for high-risk cancer are not rigorously determined or taken into account, thyroidectomy is recommended. In addition, it will remain preferable as long as the recommendations for administration of radioactive iodine do not change in favor of use reserved for high-risk cancers as in US guidelines.