ObjectiveTo explore the application value of carbon nanoparticles during radical operation of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).MethodsThe DTC patients underwent total thyroidectomy plus neck lymph node (area Ⅳ) dissection from September 2017 to September 2019 in this hospital were retrospectively collected, who were divided into observation group and control group according to using carbon nanoparticles or not during the operation. The operation related informations [operation time, intraoperative blood loss, total drainage volume on day 3 after operation, postoperative hospitalization time, number of lymph nodes dissection (area Ⅳ), lymph node metastasis rate, and rate of parathyroid glands resected by mistake during operation] and blood calcium (Ca2+) level and parathyroid hormone (PTH) level before and after (24 h and 1 month) operation were compared between the two groups.ResultsA total of 134 patients with DTC were collected, including 76 patients in the observation group and 58 patients in the control group. There were no significant differences in baseline data such as gender, age, etc. between the two groups (P>0.05). Although there were no significant differences in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, total drainage volume on day 3 after operation, postoperative hospitalization time, lymph node metastasis rate between the two groups (P>0.05), the numbers of lymph node dissection and metastasis (area Ⅳ) were more and rate of parathyroid glands resected by mistake during operation was lower in the observation group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). On hour 24 after operation, the levels of Ca2+ and PTH in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). On month 1 after operation, the PTH level in the observation group was still higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in Ca2+ level between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionCarbon nanoparticles can better protect the function of parathyroid gland during radical operation of DTC and clean neck lymph nodes more thoroughly.
ObjectiveTo investigate the adequate surgical procedures for well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) located in the isthmus.MethodsNineteen patients with WDTC located in the isthmus were identified with WDTC and managed by surgery in Department of General Surgery in Xuanwu Hospital of Capital University from Jun. 2013 to May. 2018.ResultsAmong the nineteen cases, fifteen patients had a solitary malignant nodule confined to the isthmus, four patients had malignant nodules located separately in the isthmus and unilateral lobe. One patient received extended isthmusectomy as well as relaryngeal and pretracheal lymphectomy; six patients received isthmusectomy with unilateral lobectomy and central compartment lymph node dissection of unilateral lobe; four patients received isthmusectomy with unilateral lobectomy and subtotal thyroidectomy on the other lobe as well as central compartment lymph node dissection of unilateral lobe; seven patients received total thyroidectomy or isthmusectomy with unilateral lobectomy and nearly total thyroidectomy on the other lobe, as well as central compartment lymph node dissection of both sides; one patient received total thyroidectomy and central compartment lymph node dissection of both sides, as well as lateral thyroid lymph node dissection of both sides. The median operative time was 126 minutes (67–313 minutes), the median intraoperative blood loss was 30 mL (10–85 mL), and the median hospital stay was 6 days (4–11 days). Hypocalcemia occurred in 12 patients. There were no complications of recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy or laryngeal nerve palsy occurred. All the nineteen patients were well followed. During the follow up period (14–69 months with median of 26 months), there were no complications of permanent hypoparathyroidism occurred, as well as the 5-year disease-specific survival rate and survival rate were both 100%.ConclusionsFor patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer located in the isthmus with different diameters and sentinel node status, individualized surgical procedures should be adopted.
Thyroglobulin (Tg) and radioiodine whole body scan (WBS) have been commonly used in follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Tg is associated with radioiodine uptake in local or distant metastases. In minority of patients, the follow-up scan shows no functioning thyroid tissue, but the serum thyroglobulin is still elevated. Therefore, we review recent developments of diagnosis and treatment of those patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and with thyroglobulin elevation but negative iodine scintigraphy.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of thyroglobulin in fine-needle aspirate fluid (FNA-Tg) for detecting cervical lateral lymph node metastases (LLNM) in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). MethodsThe clinical data of DTC patients who underwent (selective) cervical lateral lymph node dissection at the 900th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force from February 1, 2021 to November 30, 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The significance level (α) was set as 0.05. ResultsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 155 patients with 179 lymph nodes were included, among which 49 lymph nodes were not metastatic and 130 were metastatic. The results of the integral patients showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of FNA-Tg for distinguishing cervical LLNM in the patients with DTC was superior to that of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). The AUCs (95% confidence intervals) were 0.973 (0.950, 0.995) and 0.778 (0.708, 0.849) respectively, P<0.05, and the AUC (95% confidence interval) of the combination of the two was higher [0.978 (0.959, 0.997)]. The optimal diagnostic threshold of FNA-Tg was determined to be 16.45 μg/L or FNA-Tg/serum thyroglobulin (sTg) was 1.02. After stratification based on the size of the lymph nodes, a paired analysis of the two methods (FNA-Tg and FNAC) showed that the diagnostic efficiency of FNA-Tg was significantly higher than that of FNAC only when the short diameter of the lymph node was ≤0.8 cm [0.955 (0.919, 0.992) vs. 0.718 (0.630, 0.806), P<0.001], and there was no additional benefit from the combination of the two [0.950 (0.912, 0.989)]. ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that FNA-Tg shows a good diagnostic efficacy for cervical LLNM in patients with DTC, especially has an obvious advantage for small lymph nodes with a short-axis diameter of lymph node ≤0.8 cm. Its optimal diagnostic threshold is 16.45 μg/L or FNA-Tg/sTG is 1.02.
Objective To summarize the value of serum thyroglobulin (Tg) in diagnosis before surgery and monitoring after surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Methods By using the method of literature review, the literatures related to the diagnosis and monitoring value of serum Tg for DTC were studied. Results ① Serum thyroglobulin had a certain value in diagnosis of thyroid nodules, especially in follicular cancer or Hürthle cancer whose diagnosis undetermined by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), and it was closely linked with the tumor’s size and distant metastasis of the DTC. ② Raise of serum Tg postoperatively was important for judging the recurrence and metastasis of DTC. However, how to establish an appropriate threshold of serum Tg, identify the differences of results for different measurement methods, make the accurate judgment for false positive and false negative, and combine with other imaging methods appropriately, needed our attention. Conclusion Serum Tg plays a very important role in diagnosis before surgery and monitoring after surgery of DTC, clinical doctors need pay high attention on it.
ObjectiveTo analyze the influencing factors of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and its correlation with social support and quality of life in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) at 5 years after surgery. MethodsA total of 116 patients with DTC from West China Hospital, Sichuan University at 5 years after surgery were selected as the research objects. The patients were investigated using the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and the European Organization for Reasearch and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnare-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30, hereinafter referred to as QLQ-C30). The χ2 test or Fisher exact probability method were used for univariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used for influencing factor analysis. The diagnostic value of variables with significant influence on FCR in multivariate logistic regression was further studied by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Pearson correlation analysis was finally adopted to analyze the relationship between FCR and social support and quality of life in patients with DTC at 5 years after operation. ResultsThe questionnaire survey showed that the FoP-Q-SF score of 116 patients with DTC at 5 years after surgery was (35.92±2.52) scores, of which 75 patients had FoP-Q-SF score ≥34 scores, 41 patients had FoP-Q-SF score <34 scores, and the FCR rate was 64.66% (75/116). Multivariate logistic regression showed that gender, family annual income, SSRS score and total QLQ-C30 score were the main factors of FCR in patients with DTC at 5 years after surgery (P<0.05). Further ROC curve diagnosis showed that the accuracy rate of diagnosis of FCR with SSRS score ≤47.5 scores was 70.70%, the total score of QLQ-C30 ≤617.225 scores was 69.02%. The accuracy rate of diagnosis of FCR was 66.03% when the annual income of family was less than 150 000 yuan. The accuracy of women’s diagnosis of FCR was 62.28%. Pearson correlation analysis showed that FoP-Q-SF score was negatively correlated with SSRS score and total score of QLQ-C30 in DTC patients at 5 years after operation (r=–0.629 6, P=0.000 1; r=–0.568 5, P=0.000 1). ConclusionsThe proportion of patients who have FCR at 5 years after DTC operation is high, and gender, family annual income, SSRS score and total score of QLQ-C30 are the influencing factors. Therefore, we can develop targeted management strategies to reduce patients’ FCR and improve their quality of life.
Objective To summarize the advance in targeted therapy for radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC). Method The literatures relevant to the targeted therapy for RAIR-DTC were reviewed and summarized. Results Targeted therapy for RAIR-DTC mainly included multi-kinase inhibitors suppressing angiogenesis and mutation-specific kinase inhibitors targeting specific mutations. Representative multi-kinase inhibitors such as sorafenib and lenvatinib, which significantly prolonged progression-free survival, had been approved to put into clinical use, though there were shortcomings such as adverse effects and resistance. Mutation-specific kinase inhibitors acted on targets such as RET, mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway respectively, with relatively small side effects, most of which had only been applied in clinical trials up to now. Conclusions Targeted therapy for RAIR-DTC has made rapid progress in recent years, filling the gap in treatment for RAIR-DTC. Further explorations and investigations are needed to establish a more effect and safer treatment mode.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the reliability and stability of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) and conventional open thyroidectomy (COT) in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer.MethodsThe clinical studies of TOETVA and COT in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer were retrieved from major databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, and CNKI by computer. The search date ended on March 1, 2020. Two investigators screened the literatures strictly and extracted the data following the pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then used RevMan 5.3 software for meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 7 studies including 1 465 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed: compared with the COT group, the operation time of the TOETVA group was longer [WMD=35.18, P=0.000 1], and the number of lymph node dissections in the central area was larger [WMD=1.42, P=0.000 5]. But the intraoperative blood loss [WMD=–5.32, P=0.39], the length of hospital stay after operation [WMD=0.05, P=0.94], the incidences of transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy [OR=0.81, P=0.43], transient hypocalcemia [OR=0.55, P=0.35], permanent hypocalcemia [OR=0.39, P=0.22], permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy [OR=1.34, P=0.73], and hematoma [OR=1.29, P=0.69] were not statistically significant between the two groups.ConclusionsTOETVA has a higher stability. Although the COT has a shorter operation time, the former has a higher central lymph node dissection rate, and there is no scar on the neck after surgery and no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications.
ObjectiveTo analyze the current research status of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in the past 10 years so as to understand the research hotspots and future development in this field through a bibliometric visualization analysis. MethodsThe literature relevant DTC RAI therapy published from 2014 to 2023 was screened using the Web of Science database. The publication time, country, institution, author, keywords, and other content of literature were analyzed, and the multidimensional scientific research network was constructed, and the visualization analysis was performed using RStudio and Flourish software. ResultsA total of 2 018 studies related to DTC RAI therapy were screened out from the publications from 2014 to 2023, with a fluctuating trend of increasing publication numbers. The publication numbers in China ranked first (422 articles), followed by the United States (374 articles) and Italy (182 articles). In terms of international cooperation, the United States ranked first with the most leading collaborations (289 times), and the top 3 countries in terms of cooperation with the United States were Italy (33 times), China (21 times), and France (21 times). China ranked fifth in leading cooperation, relatively less (52 times), with the main collaborators being Japan (7 times), South Korea (6 times), and Australia (5 times). Half of the top 6 institutions in terms of publication numbers were from the United States, with the top 3 being Unicancer from France (135 articles), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from the United States (134 articles), and the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center from the United States (89 articles). Beijing Union Medical College Hospital and Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranked 19th and 23rd, respectively, with article counts of 46 and 44 articles. Tuttle RM, an author from the United States, ranked first in both publication numbers and contribution, with a total of 48 articles published from 2014 to 2023. There were two authors, Lin YS and Tan J, from China who had made it into the top 10 in terms of publication numbers, with 32 and 25 publications, respectively. The trend topics showed the evolution of hot topics, covering from the relation between urinary iodine and DTC, lymph node metastasis, to innovative research and prognosis assessment, as well as in-depth exploration of new therapies for iodine-refractory DTC. The co-occurrence and clustering of keywords included 4 aspects, namely, the standardized management of DTC, related contents during the peri-treatment period, papillary thyroid carcinoma, and the exploration of targeted therapy for iodine-refractory DTC. ConclusionsIn recent years, the research focus in the field of DTC RAI therapy has shifted from technical applications to management concepts, which has also promoted the improvement of treatment modes and made patients’ treatment plans increasingly personalized and precise. Future research will focus on precision medicine, individualized treatment, the combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, resistance mechanisms to treatment, and long-term management after treatment, aiming to improve patients’ treatment outcomes and quality of life and achieve a revolutionary breakthrough in treatment.
Objective To analyze clinical features of reoperation patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, and to explore reason, surgical pattern and therapeutic effectiveness of reoperation. Method The clinical data of 80 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer underwent reoperation from January 2012 to June 2016 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Results ① Eighty (5.37%) patients with differentiated thyroid cancer underwent reoperation were identified from a total of 1 491 patients with thyroid cancer in our treatment team. Twenty-seven cases were males, 53 cases were females. The male to female ratio was 1∶1.96. The age was (44±13) years with a range from 14 to 66 years. The median time between reoperation and the first operation was 16.8 months with a range from 8 days to 17 years. ② Thirteen cases underwent reoperation because of uncertain frozen sections, and the reoperation style was residual lobectomy and selective lymph node dissection. Sixty-seven cases underwent reoperation because of local recurrence or metastasis, 15 of them accepted residual lobectomy and selective lymph node dissection while the other 52 accepted selective lymph node dissection. ③ The rate of residual in thyroid cancer confirmed by postoperative pathology was 18.8% (15/80). The rate of cervical lymph node metastasis was 63.8% (51/80). The temporary laryngeal recurrent nerve injury occured in 6 cases, the temporary hypocalcemia occured in 9 cases, and the lymphorrhagia occured in 2 cases. ④ The hospitalization time was (6.50±0.97) d with a range from 3 to10 d, the time of drainage tube remove was (2.41 ±0.95) d with a range from 2 to 7 d. Seventy-three cases were followed up from 3 to 58 months with (32±18) months, 4 of them underwent operation once again because of local recurrence, no distant metastasis or death happened. ⑤ The proportion of male patients in reoperation patients was significantly higher than that of the first operation patients (P<0.05). The proportion of patients aged <45 years, the average hospitalization time, the average time of drainage tube remove, and the postoperative complications rate had no significant differences between the patients with the first operation and the patients with reoperation (P>0.05). Conclusions For reoperation patients, proportion of male patients is higher. Reoperation is proper treatment for patients with residual lobe or local recurrence or metastasis for differentiated thyroid cancer. Serious complications could be avoided by suitable surgical pattern and careful dissection during operation. Residual lobectomy and selective lymph node dissection are suggested for reoperation.