LATERAL NECK DISSECTION FOR AGGRESSIVE VARIANTS OF WELL-DIFFERENTIATED THYROID CANCER

ABSTRACT Objective: Well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) is characterized by favorable disease course and excellent survival. However, some histologic subtypes, known as aggressive histologic variants (AHVs), present a more aggressive behavior than conventional WDTC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of nodal involvement and factors influencing prognosis in N1b patients with AHVs. Methods: A multicentric retrospective analysis of patients who underwent therapeutic lateral neck dissection (ND) for WDTC between 1994 and 2015 was accomplished. AHVs included the following subtypes: tall cell, Hurtle cell, diffuse sclerosing, and poorly differentiated papillary thyroid cancer. Results: The study included a total of 352 N1b patients, 40 (11.4%) of whom had AHVs. AHVs present a similar distribution of positive nodes if compared with conventional WDTC. In AHV patients, 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), locoregional control, and metastasis-free survival were 82.2%,...