Availability of Serum Levels of Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) as a Surrogate Tumor Marker for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Introduction: Thyroglobulin (Tg) is a very sensitive and specific marker in patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the presence of a Tg antibody (TgAb) interferes with Tg immunometric assays, making Tg levels unreliable indicators. There are currently no other tumor markers to monitor in patients with PTC whose serum is TgAb-positive. Thus, we investigated whether carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) can be used as a tumor marker for PTC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 196 consecutive patients with PTC (maximum diameter ≥ 2 cm). The serum CA19-9 and Tg values of each patient were obtained before and 0.5-1 month postsurgery. Immunohistochemical staining for PTC was performed using an antibody against CA19-9. Results: High pre-surgery serum levels of CA19-9 were observed in 6.1% of the patients. Postsurgery, serum CA19-9 levels in all 196 patients decreased considerably and were within the normal range. CA19-9 expression was detected in 28 of 62 PTCs (45.2%) and was detected at various degrees and ranges in conventional PTC histology. Conclusions: Although further studies with longer follow-ups are necessary, serum CA19-9 levels may serve as a surrogate tumor marker for PTC in place of serum Tg levels sin some patients.

Ansa Cervicalis External Branch Anastomosis to Restore High Tone Voice in Thyroid Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Injury to the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN) causes low-pitch voice and voice fatigue, particularly in female subjects, and available treatments are limited. Here, we assess a novel surgical procedure to restore a high-tone voice: ansa cervicalis to EBSLN anastomosis (A-E anastomosis). METHODS: Between November 2012 and April 2022, 13 patients (12 female) underwent unilateral EBSLN resection and A-E anastomosis, while 20 (16 female) underwent EBSLN resection during thyroid surgery. Patients (4494 women and 1025 men) with normal laryngoscopy scheduled for thyroid surgery served as normal controls. Phonatory function was examined using a Phonation Analyzer PA-1000 preoperatively and intermittently postoperatively. RESULTS: In patients who underwent A-E anastomosis, high-tone voice pitch decreased significantly postoperatively (673.9-471.5 Hz, p = 0.047), with restoration achieved within 5 months. The mean voice pitch in female patients who underwent A-E anastomosis, EBSLN resection, and controls were 580.4, 522.8, and 682.0 Hz, respectively, indicating a significant decrease in EBSLN resection patients than controls (p = 0.002). The (mean - 1SD) of high-tone voice pitch in female controls was 497 Hz; exceeding this may indicate recovery to a high-tone voice. Overall, 73% (8/11) of A-E anastomosis patients exceeded this value, which was marginally larger than the 43% (6/14) who underwent EBSLN resection. Data on male subjects are limited. There were no cases of adverse functional or cosmetic events. CONCLUSIONS: A-E anastomosis, a novel simple procedure, restored high-tone voice to some extent without any adverse events and thus warrants further investigation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:3868-3873, 2024.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve's course running anteriorly to a thyroid tumor.

The thyroid gland's neurovascular relationship is commonly portrayed as the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) coursing posteriorly to the thyroid gland. We report a rare case with the RLN running anteriorly to a thyroid tumor. A 56-year-old Japanese woman underwent a thyroidectomy for a benign thyroid tumor. Preoperatively, computed tomography confirmed that part of the tumor had extended into the mediastinum and was descending posteriorly up to the brachiocephalic artery. Intraoperatively, when the sternothyroid muscle was incised to expose the thyroid gland, a cord (nerve)-like structure was observed directly anterior to the thyroid tumor. Although the course of this cord-like structure was clearly different from the "traditional" course of the right RLN, the possibility that the structure was the RLN could not be excluded. The structure was traced back in order to preserve it; we saw that it entered the larynx at the lower margin of the cricothyroid muscle and approximately at the level of the cricothyroid junction through the back of the normal thyroid tissue. With intraoperative neuromonitoring, the structure was identified as the RLN. As a result, the course of the RLN run anterior to the tumor but then posterior to the 'normal thyroid' i.e. into it normal anatomical position. Had we assumed that the RLN was behind the thyroid tumor, we would have damaged the RLN. It would not be possible to diagnose this abnormal running course of the RLN reliably before surgery, but extra care should be taken in similar cases, that is, when a large thyroid tumor is descending posteriorly up to the brachiocephalic artery on the right side.

Long-Term Outcomes of Active Surveillance and Immediate Surgery for Adult Patients with Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: 30-Year Experience.

Background: It has been 30 years since the initiation of active surveillance (AS) for adult patients with low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). This study compared the long-term oncological outcomes of patients who underwent AS or immediate surgery (IS). Methods: This is a retrospective review of extended follow-up data from patients enrolled in a single-center, prospective observational study in Japan. In total, 5646 patients diagnosed with low-risk PTMC at Kuma Hospital between 1993 and 2019 were enrolled in this study. Of these, 3222 patients underwent AS (AS group), whereas 2424 underwent IS (IS group). The patients were followed up regularly, at least once per year. Descriptive outcome data were presented according to the treatment group. Results: In the AS group, 124 patients (3.8%) had tumor enlargement of ≥3 mm, and the 10- and 20-year enlargement rates were 4.7% and 6.6%, respectively. Novel lymph node metastases occurred in 27 patients (0.8%), and the 10- and 20-year nodal metastasis occurrence rates were 1.0% and 1.6%, respectively. In the IS group, 13 patients (0.5%) experienced lymph node recurrence postoperatively, and the 10- and 20-year nodal recurrence rates were 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively. Eighteen (1.4%) of the 1327 patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy experienced recurrence in the residual thyroid. The rate of lymph node metastasis was significantly higher in the AS group than in the IS group (1.1% vs. 0.4% and 1.7% vs. 0.7% at 10 and 20 years, respectively; p = 0.009), but the differences were small. However, the proportion of patients who underwent one or more and two or more surgeries was significantly higher in the IS group than in the AS group (100% vs. 12.3% and 1.07% vs. 0.09%, p < 0.01). Distant metastatic recurrence was observed in one patient after AS and conversion surgery and another after IS; however, they were alive (18.4 and 18.8 years after diagnosis, respectively). None of the patients in this study died of thyroid carcinoma. Conclusions: Long-term oncological outcomes of patients with PTMC generally did not differ clinically significantly between those undergoing AS and IS. AS is a viable initial management option for patients with low-risk PTMC.

Lipoadenoma of the parathyroid: characteristics of a rare cause of hyperparathyroidism.

Parathyroid Lipoadenoma (PLA) contains abundant mature adipose tissue and is a rare cause of hyperparathyroidism. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of PLA in nine patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, including two men and seven women, with ages ranging from 45-84 years (median 60 years). PLA accounted for 0.5% of all parathyroid tumors during the study period. One patient presented with anorexia due to hypercalcemia; however, the other eight patients were asymptomatic. The median preoperative serum intact-parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and calcium levels were 143 pg/mL (range, 102-378) and 10.8 mg/dL (range, 10.3-11.3), respectively. PLA was difficult to identify using ultrasonography (US) as it appears as a moderately hyperechoic nodule and is difficult to distinguish from the surrounding adipose tissues. Only 33% of the lesions (three out of nine lesions) were accurately identified. However, they could be distinctly differentiated from the surrounding tissue using computed tomography (CT). All PLAs were also detected using the sesta-methoxyisobutylisonitrile single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT). All the patients were treated by a single gland extirpation. The median size and weight of the PLA were 14 mm (range, 10-22) and 567 mg (range, 200-1,533), respectively. In conclusion, the clinical manifestations of PLA are similar to those of ordinal parathyroid adenomas, except for their unique US and CT images. PLA should be considered as a potential etiologic factor in cases of hyperparathyroidism when the lesions are demonstrated as hyperechoic nodules or unidentified by US but detected by CT or SPECT imaging.

Clinicopathological features and outcomes of intrathyroidal thymic carcinoma: a single institution study.

Intrathyroidal thymic carcinoma (ITTC) is a rare malignancy of the thyroid. It is thought to originate from ectopic thymic tissue or embryonic thymic rest, in, or adjacent to, the thyroid. We analyzed the backgrounds, clinicopathological features, and prognosis of 20 patients with ITTC, treated at our hospital. Thirteen of the 15 patients (86%) who underwent ultrasonography were diagnosed as malignant, based on imaging findings. 16 of the 17 patients (93%) who underwent cytology, were diagnosed or suspected to be malignant. Locally curative surgery (thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection) was performed for 19 patients. Large tumor size (>4 cm) was positively related to pathological node metastasis (p = 0.0389). Fourteen patients, including nine Ex-positive patients, underwent adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) of the neck after surgery. Two patients showed recurrence of thyroid bed after and neither of them underwent adjuvant EBRT after surgery. Two patients who underwent EBRT showed recurrences of the lateral nodes (level V and level II), but they were easily dissected by re-operation. Ten- and 20-year local recurrence-free survival rates were 84.9% and 60.6%, respectively. To date, four patients showed distant recurrence, and 10- and 20-year distant recurrence-free survival rates were 75.0% and 75.0%, respectively. Our findings indicate that 1) the prognosis of ITTC is generally favorable, and 2) large tumor size is significantly related to lymph node metastasis. Two patients showing recurrence of the central region did not undergo EBRT; thus, further comparative studies are desirable to elucidate whether EBRT can prevent significant local recurrence.

Prognostic factors for follicular thyroid carcinoma: the importance of vascular invasion.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) into three categories: minimally invasive (mFTC), encapsulated angioinvasive (eaFTC), and widely invasive (wFTC). This study investigated whether this classification is appropriate. We enrolled 523 patients who underwent initial surgery at Kuma Hospital between 1998 and 2015 and were diagnosed with FTC. Capsular invasion (CI) was classified as none, minimal (microscopic), or wide (macroscopic) invasion. Vascular invasion (VI) was divided according to the number of invasive foci into three degrees: VI(-), VI(1+), and VI(2+). For 507 M0 patients, age ≥55 years (p = 0.004), non-oxyphilic histology (p = 0.043), and male sex (p < 0.001) predicted poor distant recurrence-free survival (DR-FS) on univariate analysis; however, tumor size >4 cm and wide CI did not. The DR-FS rates significantly decreased from VI(-) to VI(2+) in a step-by-step fashion, including VI(-) vs. VI(1+) (p = 0.011) and VI(1+) vs. VI(2+) (p = 0.014). Multivariate analysis revealed that older age (p = 0.0004), non-oxyphilic histology (p = 0.041), male sex (p = 0.0052), VI(1+) (p = 0.017), and VI(2+) (p < 0.001) independently predicted distant recurrence. The DR-FS rates did not significantly differ among mFTC, wFTC/VI(-), and eaFTC/VI(1+). The DR-FS rate of eaFTC/VI(2+) was worse than that of eaFTC/VI(1+) (p = 0.042), but did not differ from that of wFTC/VI(1+/2+). Our findings suggest that subclassifying eaFTC according to the degree of VI and restricting wFTC to VI-positive cases would be better in the WHO classification. Revising the definition for wide CI is recommended.

Prognostic significance of patient age in papillary thyroid carcinoma with no high-risk features.

Older age is recognized as a predictor of poor prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. However, young age is associated with disease progression of PTC measuring 1 cm or smaller in patients on active surveillance. In this study, we investigated the relationship between patient age and prognosis of PTC belonging to very low-, low-, and intermediate-risk groups based on the guidelines published by the Japan Association of Endocrine Surgery in 2018. We enrolled 4,870 PTC patients with no high-risk features and assigned each to one of three categories: very low risk (N = 1,161), low risk (N = 1,746), and intermediate risk (N = 1,963). In very low-risk patients, the local recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate of young patients (<55 years) was significantly worse (p = 0.0437) than that of older patients (≥55 years). In low-risk patients, although age did not affect local recurrence, older patients were more likely to show distant recurrence on univariate (p = 0.0005) and multivariate analyses (p = 0.0017). In the intermediate-risk series, the local RFS rate of older patients tended to be poor (p = 0.0538), and older age was significantly associated with distant RFS (univariate, p = 0.0356; multivariate, p = 0.0439) and carcinoma death (univariate, p < 0.0001; multivariate, not done because of no other suitable factors). The prognostic significance of patient age depends on risk classification: younger age significantly predicts local recurrence in very low-risk PTC, while older age predicts worse prognosis in low- and intermediate-risk patients. These findings indicate that young age is related to rapid growth in early-phase PTC.

Metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma presenting with elevated serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9): a case report.

BACKGROUND: The major sites of distant metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are the lung and bone; metastasis to the liver is rare. Although the postoperative serum thyroglobulin (Tg) level after total thyroidectomy is a good prognostic indicator for PTC when anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) is negative, the presence of TgAb interferes with the Tg assay, making serum Tg levels unreliable. Here we report a case of liver metastasis of PTC that presented with elevated serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), which is usually a serum marker of pancreatic and gastrointestinal neoplasias. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with PTC and underwent total thyroidectomy 16 years ago. The patient's serum Tg levels increased progressively during follow-up and his serum TgAb was negative. Positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) revealed metastases of the lung, cervical spine, mediastinum and liver. The liver lesion was a solitary tumor measuring 4.0 cm in the greatest dimension. His serum CA19-9 level was very high (326 U/mL), and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma was suspected from the results of various examinations including gastrointestinal endoscopic imaging and CT. Laparoscopic partial liver resection for segment 4 was performed. The histopathological diagnosis was a metastatic liver tumor from PTC. The immunohistological examination revealed that the liver tumor was positive for CA19-9 and Tg. The primary PTC, recovered from paraffin-embedded specimen, was also positive for CA19-9. After the surgery, his serum CA19-9 level as well as serum Tg level markedly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: We presented the first reported case of liver metastasis of a PTC presenting with elevated serum levels of CA19-9 after total thyroidectomy. This case suggests that the serum CA19-9 levels may serve as a surrogate marker for PTC in place of the serum Tg level in patients with positive serum TgAb if the PTC and/or the metastatic lesions are positive for CA19-9 staining.

Clinical outcomes of follicular tumor of uncertain malignant potential of the thyroid: real-world data.

Thyroid tumors arising from follicular cells can generally be divided into malignant and benign tumors. However, some cases are difficult to clearly diagnose whether they are benign or malignant. Therefore, in the most recent version of World Health Organization (WHO) classification, some borderline lesions such as follicular tumor of uncertain malignant potential (FT-UMP), well-differentiated tumor of uncertain malignant potential (WDT-UMP), and noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) were proposed. In this study, we investigated the clinical aspects, including the prognosis, of FT-UMP patients. We investigated the clinical features of 339 patients with FT-UMP. On ultrasound, 68% of the tumors were diagnosed as intermediate, and only 5% of those tumors were diagnosed as malignant. On cytology, 40% of the tumors were diagnosed as follicular neoplasm, and only 1% of these were suspected to be or diagnosed as malignancy. The diagnosis was based on questionable capsular invasion for 332 patients, questionable vascular invasion for 2 patients, and both for 5 patients. Eighty-six percent of the tumors showed low cell proliferation activity. To date, five patients (1%) have shown distant recurrence during postoperative follow-up and underwent various treatments such as radioactive iodine therapy, orthopedic surgery, and denosumab injection. None of these patients have died due to thyroid carcinoma. Our findings suggest that FT-UMP is generally an indolent disease, but some patients show distant recurrence. Physicians should carefully follow patients, although it remains unknown how long they should be observed after surgery.

Observational management of papillary microcarcinoma appearing in the remnant thyroid after hemithyroidectomy.

Active surveillance for papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMCs) initiated in Japan is becoming adopted worldwide as a management option. However, it remains unclear how to manage newly appearing PTMCs in the remnant thyroid after hemithyroidectomy. We investigated the outcomes of similar observational management (OM) for PTMCs appearing in the remnant thyroid after hemithyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and benign thyroid nodules. Eighty-three patients were newly diagnosed with PTMC in the remnant thyroid between January 1998 and March 2017. Of these, 42 patients underwent OM with >3 times ultrasound examinations. Their initial diagnoses were PTC (initially malignant group) in 37 patients and benign nodule (initially benign group) in 5 patients. We calculated the tumor volume doubling rate (TV-DR) during OM for each PTMC. The TV-DR (/year) was <-0.1, -0.1-0.1, 0.1-0.5, and >0.5 in 12, 19, 5, and 6 patients, respectively. The TV-DRs in both groups did not statistically differ, but six patients (16%) in the initially malignant group showed moderate growth (TV-DR >0.5/year). They underwent conversion surgery and none of them had further recurrence. The remaining 36 patients retained OM without disease progression. The TV-DR in the initially malignant group was not significantly associated with patients' backgrounds or their initial clinicopathological features. None of the patients in this study showed distant metastases/recurrences or died of thyroid carcinoma. Although a portion of PTMCs appearing after hemithyroidectomy for thyroid malignancy are moderately progressive, OM may be acceptable as a management option for PTMCs appearing in the remnant thyroid after hemithyroidectomy.

Long-term outcomes of cytologically benign thyroid tumors: a retrospective analysis of 3,102 patients at a single institution.

Some thyroid tumors that are cytologically diagnosed as benign may be pathologically diagnosed as malignant. Here, we investigated the long-term outcomes of patients with thyroid tumors with benign cytology, and the factors for malignancy. We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 3,102 patients with thyroid tumors >1 cm cytologically diagnosed as benign at our hospital during a 1-year period from January 2007. The median follow-up duration for all patients was 68.7 (range 0.0-168.7) months. Immediate surgery and delayed surgery were performed in 393 and 148 patients, respectively. Eventually, 541 (17.4%) of the 3,102 patients underwent a thyroidectomy, and 2,561 (82.6%) were observed without surgery. Among the surgically treated patients, the tumors of 525 (97.0%) and 16 (3.0%) were pathologically diagnosed as benign and malignant, respectively. There was no significant difference in age, gender, tumor size, serum thyroglobulin level at surgery, or the tumor volume-doubling rate (TV-DR) between the benign and malignant cases. Only the ultrasonographic findings based on our hospital's classification system were directly and significantly linked to pathological diagnosis (p < 0.01). Among the tumors of the 667 patients who were followed without surgery for >10 years, 89.9% remained unchanged and 7.2% were reduced in size. Ultrasonographic evaluation provides important information for therapeutic decision-making regarding surgery versus observation for cytologically benign tumors.

Diagnosis and management of hyalinizing trabecular tumor of the thyroid: a single-institution experience.

Hyalinizing trabecular tumor (HTT) of the thyroid is a mostly benign disease. Its cytological and pathological diagnosis is often difficult, because HTT cells and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells share similar features (e.g., intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions and nuclear grooves). At our institution, 38 patients were diagnosed as or highly suspected of having HTT without the possibility of PTC, based on cytology: 19 of these patients underwent immediate surgery (surgery group) and the remaining 19 underwent active surveillance without surgery (AS group). The surgery-group patients' tumor sizes were significantly larger (p < 0.0001) than those in the AS group. During AS (median 38 months), only one patient (5%) showed tumor enlargement by ≥3 mm; the AS was continued. Of the 34 patients pathologically diagnosed with HTT, 22 (65%) were cytologically diagnosed or highly suspected as having HTT without the possibility of PTC. Of the nine patients who were suspected to have HTT but PTC was possible and surgery was performed, two (22%) and seven (78%) were pathologically diagnosed as having PTC and HTT, respectively. Five patients were cytologically diagnosed with PTC, but pathologically diagnosed as having HTT. No patients showed HTT recurrence during postoperative follow-up (median 60 months). These findings suggest that (1) active surveillance can be a valid strategy for managing tumors that are cytologically diagnosed as HTT with no possibility of PTC; (2) surgery is recommended for tumors suspected of being HTT but may be PTC, and (3) the prognosis of HTT in both the AS and surgery groups was excellent.

Evaluation of the diagnostic utility of the aminotransferase/lactate dehydrogenase ratio for the suspension of tissue specimens during thyroid surgery for the identification of parathyroid tissue.

Identification of the parathyroid glands during surgery is crucial for preventing postoperative hypoparathyroidism. Kikumori et al. reported that the aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ratio for the saline suspension of a suspicious tissue can differentiate parathyroid tissue from other tissues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of this method and investigate the appropriate time for measurement. We obtained 465 tissue specimens during thyroidectomy of 102 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and 422 specimens (129 parathyroid, 92 PTC, and 201 other tissues) with measurable AST and LDH were analyzed. Small pieces of the tissues were immersed in saline and sent for measurement of AST and LDH. The assay was performed immediately after thyroidectomy for 245 specimens (the same-day group) and during the next morning for the remaining 177 specimens (the next-day group). The accuracy of diagnosing parathyroid tissue was significantly better in the same-day group than in the next-day group. A cut-off value of 0.18 gave the best diagnostic precision, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.95 and 88.7% sensitivity and specificity in the same-day group. When the cut-off value was set to 0.20, the specificity for excluding carcinomatous tissues was 100%. When measured on the day of the surgery, the AST/LDH ratio for the saline suspension of the surgical specimens is useful for discriminating parathyroid tissues from other tissues. This method can be utilized at most hospitals where intraoperative frozen sections or rapid parathyroid hormone assays are not available.

Prognostic significance of vascular invasion and cell-proliferation activity in widely invasive follicular carcinoma of the thyroid.

Widely invasive follicular thyroid carcinoma (wi-FTC) is regarded as having an aggressive character and a dire prognosis, but it has not been known whether all wi-FTCs have a dire prognosis. Herein we retrospectively analyzed the cases of 133 patients with wi-FTCs to determine the prognostic significance of vascular invasion and cell-proliferation activity based on the Ki-67 labeling index (LI). Of the 119 patients without distant metastasis (M0), 11 (9.2%) showed recurrence during the postoperative follow-up. In a univariate analysis, the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates of the M0 patients with vascular invasion and those with a Ki-67 LI ≥5% were significantly poorer (p = 0.0013 and p = 0.0268, respectively) than those of the patients without vascular invasion or with a Ki-67 LI <5%. Other clinicopathological factors such as patient age, gender, tumor size, and oxyphilic tumor were not significantly related to the patients' RFS. In a multivariate analysis, positive vascular invasion independently affected the RFS (p = 0.0133), but Ki-67 >5% did not (p = 0.1348). To date, only five patients have died of their thyroid carcinoma; four cases were M1. In conclusion, although M0 wi-FTC generally has a favorable prognosis, cases with positive vascular invasion or a high Ki-67 LI are likely to recur, and careful postoperative follow-up is necessary.

Sorafenib and Lenvatinib Treatment for Metastasis/Recurrence of Radioactive Iodine-refractory Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma (RR-DTC) has been treated with multi-kinase inhibitors (MKIs), e.g., sorafenib (SOR) and lenvatinib (LEN). We analyzed the outcomes of RR-DTC patients who underwent SOR or LEN treatment at Kuma Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 21 and 18 patients treated with SOR and LEN, respectively. RESULTS: The incidence of partial response in the LEN group was significantly higher than that in the SOR group. Serum thyroglobulin significantly decreased from the beginning of treatment to 1 month later in the LEN group (not in the SOR group). The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was significantly decreased at 1 month later in both groups. An NLR ≥3 at the start of MKI treatment had a prognostic impact. CONCLUSION: For RR-DTC, LEN could be more effective than SOR, at least in the short term. The first-line drug should be selected based on other factors (e.g., adverse events, patient background).

Prognostic Significance of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma Having Distant Metastasis: A Comparison With Thyroglobulin-doubling Rate and Tumor Volume-doubling Rate.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To date, thyroglobulin-doubling rate (Tg-DR) and tumor volume-doubling rate (TV-DR) of metastatic lesions have been identified as dynamic prognostic factors for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). In this study, we investigated the prognostic impact for another dynamic factor, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), for DTC with distant metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 321 patients in total, and NLR at the first detection of distant metastasis (initial NLR) was collected for 312. RESULTS: Patients with initial NLR >3 had a significantly poorer cause-specific survival than those with initial NLR ≤3. On multivariate analysis, initial NLR >3 was recognized as an independent prognostic factor together with Tg-DR >1/year, TV-DR >1/year, radioactive iodine-refractory distant metastasis, and distant metastasis to organs other than the lung. CONCLUSION: Careful observation and active therapies, including multitarget kinase inhibitors, are recommended for patients with NLR >3 at the first detection of distant metastasis or during follow-up.

Salmon acyl-ghrelin increases food intake and reduces doxorubicin-induced myocardial apoptosis in rats, likely by anti-oxidative activity.

We had reported that orally administered ghrelin-containing salmon stomach extract prevents doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the binding affinity of salmon ghrelin to rat ghrelin receptor and the cardioprotective effects of subcutaneous (sc) injected synthetic salmon ghrelin in rats with DOX-induced acute heart failure in order to clarify the potential efficacy of salmon ghrelin. Intracellular calcium mobilization assay was performed on rat GHS-R1a-expressing CHO cells to reveal ghrelin activity. Rats were divided into five groups; the normal control (I), and toxic control (II) groups were given saline (sc, twice daily), and the salmon acyl-ghrelin (sAG) (III), salmon unacylated-ghrelin (sUAG) (IV), and rat acyl-ghrelin (rAG) (V) groups were given corresponding synthetic ghrelins (sc, twice daily), respectively. After seven days of treatment, DOX (20 mg/kg BW) or saline was administered to the corresponding groups by intraperitoneal injection. The toxic control group was the negative control group for the DOX-induced cardiotoxicity groups. While sAG displayed similar affinity to rAG upon application to GHS-R1a-expressing cells, and also decreased DOX-induced apoptosis and increased food intake, sUAG did not. Both sAG and rAG improved DOX-induced deterioration, showing anti-oxidative activity. The anti-oxidative activity of sAG might contribute to the protective effects on cardiomyocytes. The results also suggest that, similar to rAG, sAG is a potent protectant against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and a potential functional component in orally administered ghrelin-containing salmon stomach extract, which prevented DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in our previous study.

Marked Decrease Over Time in Conversion Surgery After Active Surveillance of Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

Background: Active surveillance for low-risk papillary microcarcinoma (PMC) of the thyroid is an accepted and safe management strategy. However, some patients undergo conversion surgery after the initiation of active surveillance for various reasons. We investigated the reasons for conversion surgery and whether and how they changed over time. Methods: We enrolled 2288 patients with PMC who underwent active surveillance. Of these, 162 (7.1%) underwent conversion surgery >12 months after initiating active surveillance due to disease progression (57 patients), patient preference (43 patients), physician preference (31 patients), other associated thyroid or parathyroid diseases (24 patients), and other reasons (7 patients). We analyzed cumulative conversion rates not only in the whole cohort but also in the first three major subsets based on the reasons for surgery. We also divided our whole cohort into two groups based on the period of active surveillance commencement: the first-half group (February 2005-November 2011; 561 patients) and the second-half group (December 2011-June 2017; 1727 patients). Results: The criteria for PMC progression did not differ between the first- and second-half groups. The proportion of female patients in the physician preference group was significantly higher than that in the disease progression and the patient preference groups. Tumor size at surgery was larger, and tumor volume-doubling rate was higher in the disease progression group than in the other two groups. Patients in the second-half group were significantly less likely to undergo conversion surgery than those in the first-half group. Furthermore, conversion surgery rates in the second-half group were significantly lower than those in the first-half group in the patient preference, physician preference, and disease progression groups. Conclusions: Patients with PMC in the second-half group were significantly less likely to undergo conversion surgery than those in the first-half group regardless of the reason. This is probably because data accumulation of favorable outcomes with active surveillance significantly contributed to physicians' confidence and patients' trust and understanding of this disease.

Selective prophylactic lateral node dissection improves the ipsilateral lateral node recurrence-free survival: A retrospective single-center cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have shown that prophylactic lateral neck dissection (pLND) may be beneficial for patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); however, none of the Western guidelines currently recommends this procedure. Since 2007, the decision to perform pLND at our institution has been made on a case-by-case basis with different risk factors in mind. In this study, we investigated the significance and indications of pLND in patients with PTC. METHODS: We identified patients at stage N0 or N1a and M0 with PTC who underwent surgery from 2007 to 2017. We compared lateral compartment recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant RFS between patients who did and did not undergo pLND (pLND and non-pLND groups). RESULTS: pLND was performed in 494/3177 (15.5%) patients with PTC (tumor size [T] ≥2 cm, cN0 or N1a, M0). Overall, no significant difference in lateral compartment RFS was detected between the pLND and non-pLND groups. On multivariate analysis, T ≥ 3 cm and positive extrathyroidal extension were independent predictors for recurrence to the lateral compartment. In the subset analysis of T ≥ 3 cm with positive extrathyroidal extension (n = 127), the lateral compartment RFS rate of the pLND group was significantly better (p < 0.01) than that of the non-pLND group (p < 0.01). In this subset, pLND reduced recurrence to the lateral compartment by 20.7% during the 5-year follow-up. However, pLND did not improve distant RFS. CONCLUSIONS: pLND significantly improved lateral node RFS in patients having PTC ≥3 cm with significant extrathyroidal extension. For such patients, pLND at initial surgery may be considered to avoid second surgery.