Identification of Intermediate- to High-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Patients Who May Be Safely Managed without the Performance of Delayed Stimulated Thyroglobulin Measurements following Total Thyroidectomy and Radioactive Iodine Therapy

Table 1

Baseline characteristics of patients.

Parameters
Age at diagnosis (years)^a	45.89 (18–74)
Female gender	283 (81.8%)
Interval from surgery to 1st RAI ablation (months)^b	3.81 ± 1.17
Interval from 1st RAI ablation to follow-up sTg (months)^b	12.77 ± 3.23
Median follow-up duration (months)	38.9 (11.6–59.7)
Recurrent cases	6 (1.7%)
Tumour size (mm)
≤10	186 (53.8%)
10–40	157 (45.4%)
40≤	3 (0.9%)
Thyroid capsular invasion	287 (82.9%)
Extrathyroidal extension	282 (81.5%)
Cervical lymph node metastasis	258 (74.5%)
N0	88 (25.4%)
N1a	206 (59.5%)
N1b	52 (15.0%)
BRAF mutation/evaluation^c	284/336 (84.5%)
Thyroiditis	58 (16.8%)
Multiplicity
None	206 (59.5%)
One lobe	52 (15%)
Both lobes	87 (25.1%)
ATA risk classification
Intermediate	215 (62.1%)
High	131 (37.9%)
Method of TSH stimulation at RAI ablation
Thyroid hormone withdrawal	279 (80.6%)
rh TSH administration	67 (19.4%)

Median (range).
^bMean ± standard deviation.
^cNumber of patients who were examined for BRAF mutation of tumor.