Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinomas: Management of the Central Lymph Node Compartment and Emerging Biochemical Markers

Table 1

ATA risk stratification for recurrent disease.

Low risk	Intermediate risk	High risk
All the following are present; (i) No local or distant metastases; (ii) All macroscopic tumor has been resected; (iii) No invasion of loco-regional tissues; (iv) Tumor does not have aggressive histology (e.g., tall cell, insular, columnar cell carcinoma, Hurthle cell carcinoma, follicular thyroid cancer); (v) No vascular invasion; (vi) No I^131 uptake outside the thyroid bed, if done	Any of the following is present; (i) Microscopic invasion into the perithyroidal soft tissues; (ii) Cervical lymph node metastases or 31-I uptake outside the thyroid bed on the post-treatment scan done after thyroid remnant ablation; (iii) Tumor with aggressive histology or vascular invasion (e.g., tall cell, insular, columnar cell carcinoma, Hurthle cell carcinoma, follicular thyroid cancer)	Any of the following is present; (i) Macroscopic tumor invasion; (ii) Gross residual tumor; (iii) Distant metastases