Differences in treatment outcomes between ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation and endoscopic thyroidectomy for patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The differences in treatment outcomes between ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (PMWA) and endoscopic thyroidectomy for patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) remains unknown. METHODS: An electronic search will be performed for randomized controlled trials or observational studies that reported recurrence and mortality rates in PTMC patients with US-guided PMWA or endoscopic thyroidectomy. Hazard ratios with their 95% confidence intervals will be calculated using fixed- or random-effects models according to heterogeneity. RESULTS: This study will present the differences in treatment outcomes between US-guided PMWA and endoscopic thyroidectomy for patients with PTMC by pooling the results of individual studies. CONCLUSION: The results of this study would provide vigorous evidence in this issue and offer the guidance to both clinical decision-making and future research. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not applicable for this study. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018112320.