Macroscopic extranodal invasion is a risk factor for tumor recurrence in papillary thyroid cancer.

ABSTRACT

Papillary thyroid cancer patients, upon whom curative operation was performed, were investigated to clarify whether or not macroscopic extranodal invasion is a risk factor for recurrence. They were divided into three groups group A, patients whose primary tumor showed extrathyroidal invasion (n=31); group B, those whose metastatic lymph nodes showed extranodal invasion (n=6); group C, those who showed both extrathyroidal and extranodal invasion (n=9). Recurrence was significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A (P<0.05). It was concluded that macroscopic extranodal invasion to the adjacent structures was a risk factor for recurrence in patients with papillary thyroid cancer.