Radical neck dissection with advancement flap in advanced papillary thyroid cancer: a therapeutic option

Abstract

Papillary thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common TC subtype with a global incidence of 80–90% and an annual rate of increase of 5% in the last ten years. Papillary TC has the peculiar tendency to spread to the central and lateral lymph nodes (LNs) of the neck, and recurrence occurs in 60–75% of cases. The most affected site is the central compartment. Total thyroidectomy with radical dissection achieved the best results for differentiated TC with LN involvement, with a complication rate of 6%. Classic radical dissection is an effective surgical approach when performed by experienced surgeons in cases in which there is a good knowledge of local anatomy, decreasing recurrence and improving survival.