The Impact of the Extent of Surgery on the Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Low-Risk Differentiated Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Meta-Analysis

Recently, the management of patients with low-risk differentiated non-medullary thyroid cancer (DTC), including papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma subtypes, has been critically appraised, questioning whether these patients might be overtreated without a clear clinical benefit. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) guideline suggests that thyroid lobectomy (TL) could be a safe alternative for total thyroidectomy (TT) in patients with DTC up to 4 cm limited to the thyroid, without metastases. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the clinical outcomes in patients with low-risk DTC based on the extent of surgery. The risk ratio (RR) of recurrence rate, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and disease specific survival (DSS) were estimated. In total 16 studies with 175,430 patients met the inclusion criteria. Overall, low recurrence rates were observed for both TL and TT groups (7 vs. 7%, RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.61–1.96, I(2) = 72%), and no statistically significant differences for OS (TL 94.1 vs. TT 94.4%, RR 0.99, CI 0.99–1.00, I(2) = 53%), DFS (TL 87 vs. TT 91%, RR 0.96, CI 0.89–1.03, I(2) = 85%), and DSS (TL 97.2 vs. TT 95.4%, RR 1.01, CI 1.00–1.01, I(2) = 74%). The high degree of heterogeneity of the studies is a notable limitation. Conservative management and appropriate follow-up instead of bilateral surgery would be justifiable in selected patients. These findings highlight the importance of shared-decision making in the management of patients with small, low-risk DTC.