Clinical, Surgical and Histopathologic Outcomes of Filipino Patients with Micropapillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Tertiary University Hospital in the Philippines

Abstract

Objective. Micropapillary thyroid carcinoma (micro-PTC) has a good prognosis but a number of cases will present with aggressive behavior. This study aims to determine the clinical outcomes with surgical management and histopathologic characteristics of Filipino patients with micro-PTC at University of Santo Tomas Hospital.Methodology. 139 patients were diagnosed with micro-PTC from the year 2004-2011. Seventy five patients had complete data and were included in this retrospective study. Chi square test with Yates correction, T-test for tumor diameter, statistical means and percentages were used in data analysis.Results. A total of 1,689 thyroid surgeries were done between 2004 and 2011. There were 1,054 patients (62.4%) diagnosed with benign thyroid tumor(s) and 635 patients (37.6%) with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Of these, 139 (22%) patients have micro-PTC. The prevalence rate of micro-PTC was 22%, with a female predominance (86.6%). The patients' ages ranged from 24-80 years old with a mean age of 47 years. Comparison of groups showed that having either incidental or non-incidental micro-PTC is independent of the clinical variables of the patient. Two (2.6%) patients initially presented with cranial and supraclavicular metastasis. This study had a low recurrence rate (5.3%) and a mortality rate of 1.3%.Conclusion. Male gender is the only significant variable for lymph node and distant metastasis. The patient's age, family history of cancer, number of foci, size and histological type of tumor have no prognostic value.

Characteristics and Management of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma in the United Arab Emirates

“…[ 1 2 17 ] Furthermore, the multifocal disease was present in about 41% of our patients, which is slightly higher than the reported rates in other studies (20.6 to 38%). [ 2 13 14 ] Like other studies, most of our patients had a low-risk ATA classification. [ 1 13 ]…”

“…Nonetheless, there was a similar RAI usage rate in the studies from KSA, Philippines, and China. [ 13 14 16 ] In addition, in a recent study from Chile, about 88% of PTMC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy received RAI ablation. [ 28 ] The absence of high-quality data on RAI's role in this population might considerably affect its use across different studies.…”

“…Most studies on PTMC characteristics and management outcomes were conducted in countries outside the Middle East and North Africa region. [ 1 2 12 13 14 ] Data from our group showed that from 2008 to 2018, there was a significant decline in RAI therapy, but not in surgery, in a wider cohort of thyroid cancer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). [ 15 ] Scoping of the current practice in PTMC management is crucial in light of an expected rise in the number of such patients in the future, especially in the absence of regional guidelines on the management of thyroid cancer.…”