Ultrasonographic features of cervical lymph node metastases from medullary thyroid cancer: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: To investigate sonographic features of cervical lymph node metastases from medullary thyroid cancer (LNM-MTC), as compared with lymph node metastases from papillary thyroid cancer (LNM-PTC). METHODS: A total of 42 MTC patients with 52 metastatic LNs and 222 PTC patients with 234 metastatic LNs who were confirmed by fine needle aspiration and post-operative pathology, were enrolled in this study. The clinical characteristics and sonographic features of LNs were compared between the two groups. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed on the sonographic features of LNs, including short and long-axis diameter, long-axis diameter/short-axis, shape, border, hilum, echogenicity, calcifications, cystic change and vascularity pattern. The discriminating performance was assessed with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The mean age of patients with LNM-MTC was older than that of patients with LNM-PTC (46.81 ± 13.05 vs 39.09 ± 12.05, P < 0.001). No differences were observed in gender, location, long-axis diameter/short-axis, shape, border, echogenicity, cystic change and vascularity pattern between LNM-MTC and LNM-PTC groups (P > 0.05, for all). However, long-axis and short-axis diameter, hilum and calcifications were statistically different between these two groups (P < 0.05, for all). The AUC of discriminate value between LNM-MTC and LNM-PTC was 0.808 (95% confidence interval 0.739–0.877). CONCLUSION: Compared with LNM-PTC, LNM-MTC tended to have the sonographic characteristics of larger size, absence of hilum, and less calcifications, and awareness of these features might be helpful to in the diagnosis of LNM-MTC.