Risk factors for level V metastasis in patients with N1b papillary thyroid cancer

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer, and its incidence has increased. Lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) implies a worse prognosis than central lymph node metastasis, with a higher recurrence rate and decreased disease-free survival. The 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines recommend compartmental node dissection in patients with LLNM to reduce the risk of recurrence and mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for level V lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with N1b papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). METHODS: A total of 110 consecutive patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with lateral neck dissection for PTC between April 2016 and April 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. Based on level V metastasis, 94 patients were divided into two groups, and their clinicopathological characteristics were compared. Univariable analysis were used to assess the factors associated with level V metastasis. Spearman correlation analysis were used to assess the correlation between tumors and LN. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cutoff value for the number of metastatic LNs at each level for level V metastasis. RESULTS: The number of metastatic LNs and lymph node ratio (LNR) in level II were significantly associated with level V metastasis (P = 0.011 and 0.001, respectively). The number of metastatic LNs in level II and those in the total number of levels correlated with the number of metastatic LNs in level V (rho = 0.331, 0.325, and P = 0.001, 0.001, respectively). The cutoff value for the number of metastatic LNs in level II was defined as 2.5 (area under the curve = 0.757, sensitivity = 50%, specificity = 82.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.626–0.889, P = 0.002). Simultaneous 3-level metastasis (level II, III, and IV) and 3-level with ≥ 2.5 metastatic LNs in level II were significantly associated with level V metastasis (P = 0.003 and 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The number of metastatic LNs and LNR in level II, simultaneous 3-level metastasis (level II, III, and IV), and 3-level with ≥ 2.5 metastatic LNs in level II were significantly associated with level V metastasis. (P = 0.011, 0.001, 0.003, and 0.002, respectively). In the future, larger-scale multi-institutional studies were needed to find out predictors for level V metastasis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-022-02782-0.