Clinical Features and Outcomes of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Patients Aged under 20

Received June 9, 2015 Revised July 16, 2015 Accepted July 17, 2015 Address for correspondence Ik Joon Choi, MD Department of OtorhinolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 75 Nowon-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01812, Korea Tel +82-2-970-1271 Fax +82-2-970-2450 E-mail medica95@hanmail.net Background and ObjectivesZZThyroid carcinoma rarely occurs in children and adolescents, whose clinical features are diverse, and treatment outcomes are still controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and the treatment outcomes of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients younger than 20 years old. Subjects and MethodZZThis is a retrospective study for patients younger than 20 years old, who were diagnosed as PTC from January 1992 to February 2009. Clinical features, size, pathologic type, extrathyroidal extension, recurrence, multiplicity, extent of surgery, and lymph node metastasis were retrospectively evaluated. ResultsZZForty patients, of 6 malse and 34 females, were enrolled, with their mean age being 16 years old. The initial operations were total thyroidectomy for 9 patients, unilateral lobectomy for 15 patients, and total thyroidectomy and lateral neck dissection for 16 patients. Cervical lymph node metastases were diagnosed in 25 patients. Extrathyroidal extensions were observed in 30 patients. Postoperative radioactive iodine therapy was performed in 35 patients. During the follow-up period, 8 patients had recurred. All patients were alive at the last follow-up. ConclusionZZPTC in children and adolescents aged under 20 is a rare disease and tends to present as an advanced disease with low mortality compared to adult PTC. Recurrence had no effect on survival. Aggressive treatment with total thyroidectomy, central neck dissection, and radioiodine therapy may prevent recurrence. Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg 2015;58(11):764-8