ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of thyroid globulin antibody (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) statuses on central lymph node (CLN) metastasis in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on 526 patients with DTC confirmed by pathology from nine participating institutions, who underwent the bilateral thyroidectomy plus bilateral CLN dissection. The clinicopathologic characteristics of different TGAb and TPOAb statuses of patients with DTC were compared, and whether the TGAb and TPOAb statuses were the independent risk factors of CLN metastasis in DTC patients or not was analyzed.ResultsAll of 526 patients with DTC were included in this study, 152 were males and 374 were females. The age was (44±11) years old. There were 63 cases of TgAb＋TPOAb＋, 60 cases of TgAb＋TPOAb－, 30 cases of TgAb－TPOAb＋, and 373 cases of TgAb－TPOAb－. It was found that there was a significant difference in the gender among the four different antibody statuses of patients, that was, women with abnormal antibodies were more common (P<0.001), not found that there were related to the tumor size, blood vessel invasion, nerve invasion, CLN metastasis, tumor multifocality, and bilateral tumor or not (P>0.050). In this study, there were 389 cases of CLN with metastasis and 137 cases of CLN without metastasis. The results of multivariate analysis found that the age and gender of the patients were the independent risk factors (P<0.001), but didn’t find the TgAb and TPOAb Statuses and other factors were related to the CLN metastasis (P>0.050).ConclusionsStatuses of TGAb and TPOAb aren’t obviously associated with CLN metastasis in patients with DTC, which is inconsistent with other studies. It needs to be further researched after expanding existing sample size and determining new predictive factors.
Initial surgical treatment plays an important role in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer, and standardized surgical treatment can help to reduce underdiagnosis and overtreatment. Accurate preoperative diagnosis is the premise of standardized surgical treatment, which helps to reduce the overtreatment of thyroid nodules. Preoperative clinical TN staging assessment for differentiated thyroid cancer should be highly valued, the extent of thyroidectomy should be individualized, and the cervical lymph nodes should be performed in a standardized manner. In addition, the indications for endoscopic thyroid surgery should be strictly selected to maximize the benefit of the patient.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of levothyroxine (L-T4) combined with desiccated thyroid extract (DTE) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) who had suboptimal response to long-term (≥6 months) thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy with L-T4 alone after surgery. MethodsA total of 123 eligible patients were prospectively enrolled and received TSH suppression therapy with DTE combined with L-T4. The Kaplan?Meier (KM) curve was used to analyze the TSH suppression rate and assess the efficacy of this combination therapy. The Thyroid-Related Patient-Reported Outcome-39 (THyPRO-39) questionnaire was used to assess the patient-reported symptoms before medication adjustment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after adjustment. ResultsAmong the 123 patients, 100 were ultimately included and completed follow-up, with a follow-up period of one year. After the first adjustment to L-T4+DTE combination therapy, the rate of TSH suppression was raised to 71.0% (71/100). The KM curve revealed that the TSH suppression rate gradually increased during the follow-up period, with a cumulative rate of 82.0%. The median TSH suppression time to reach the standard was 1.4 months. Eighteen patients (18.0%) still did not meet the target after multiple regimen adjustments. Univariate analysis indicated that sex and pre-treatment serum free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels were associated with the attainment rate of TSH suppression therapy (P<0.05). However, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that neither sex (OR=0.353, P=0.148) nor pre-treatment serum FT3 level (OR=2.596, P=0.101) was an independent influencing factor of TSH suppression attainment rate. Following L-T4+DTE combination therapy, the serum FT3 level significantly increased [(4.5±0.6) pmol/L vs. (5.5±1.1) pmol/L, P<0.001] but remained within the normal range, whereas the free thyroxine (FT4) level did not significantly change [(21.9±2.1) pmol/L vs. (21.5±3.0) pmol/L, P=0.075]. However, patients who did not achieve target levels exhibited a decrease in serum FT4 levels compared to baseline, and the magnitude of this decrease was significantly greater than that observed in the target-achieved group [–0.8 (–2.1, –0.9) pmol/L vs. –2.5 (–3.8, –0.8) pmol/L, P=0.022]. The questionnaire results indicated that the combined L-T4+DTE treatment regimen had no significant impact on overall quality of life scores during the follow-up period (χ2=4.006, P=0.548). Conversely, the hyperthyroidism symptom scores showed significant improvement over the treatment period (χ2=23.120, P<0.001), with the median scores demonstrating an overall downward trend. ConclusionFor postoperative DTC patients who fail to achieve TSH suppression with L-T4 monotherapy, L-T4+DTE combination therapy can significantly increase the TSH suppression attainment rate while alleviating thyrotoxicosis-related symptoms.
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.
Galectin-3 and human bone marrow endothelial cell marker (HBME-1), which play an important role in tumor growth and metastasis, are good markers for thyroid cancer. The diagnosis specificity and accuracy for thyroid cancers have been increased with the application of 18F-fluordeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). The value of Galectin-3, HBME-1 expression and 18F-FDG imaging in differentiated thyroid carcinoma is reviewed in the present paper.