Surgical treatment of pediatric and adolescent papillary thyroid cancer: a retrospective study of 54 patients in a single center

OBJECTIVE: In 2015, American Thyroid Association (ATA) issued the first version of Management Guidelines for Children with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the ATA pediatric guidelines recommended surgical approach for the patient can be applied to surgical treatment of pediatric PTC in China. METHOD: From April 2012 to December 2020, clinical data of children (≤18 years) with PTC consecutively admitted and treated with initial surgery in the study's department were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The authors found that the central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) rate was significantly higher than that in the lateral neck (83.33 % vs 62.96%, χ(2) = 5.704, p = 0.017) .The lymph node metastasis rate was significantly lower in cN1b (-) patients than in cN1b (+) patient (55.00% vs 100.00%, χ(2) = 15.263, p = 0.000); Meanwhile, the CLNM and LLNM rates of ipsilateral were significantly higher than those of contralateral central compartment (83.33༅vs 57.41༅%, χ(2) = 8.704, p = 0.003). Lymph nodes of 51 lateral lymph node dissection (LND) were analyzed, which revealed the LNM rate of cN1b (-) patients was significantly lower than that of cN1b (+) patients (55.00% vs. 100.00%, χ(2) = 15.263, p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents have a higher rate of lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis. TT should be conducted in the majority of children with PTC. CND should be routinely performed; therapeutic LND is recommended for children with cN1b (+).