Surgical Treatment of Cervical Nodal Metastases in Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Abstract

PAPILLARY CARCINOMA of the thyroid gland is one of the most commonly encountered endocrine malignancies.1,2 Among the different malignant tumor histological conditions encountered within the thyroid gland, papillary carcinoma is not only the most common but it is also the most likely tumor type to manifest cervical nodal metastasis. In general, survival for patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma is believed to be relatively good, especially when compared with that of patients with other thyroid and nonthyroid malignancies. However, not all patients with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid fare well, and one of the major challenges is to identify patients with poor prognoses to offer more aggressive and efficacious treatment.3