Microscopic Positive Tumor Margin Increases Risk for Disease Persistence but Not Recurrence in Patients with Stage T1-T2 Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Table 1
Clinical characteristics.
Clinical characteristics
All patients n = 963
Positive margins n = 112 (12%)
Clear margins n = 851 (88%)
value
Male
152 (16%)
16 (14%)
136 (16%)
NS
Female
811 (84%)
96 (86%)
715 (84%)
Age at diagnosis (years, mean ± SD)
46 ± 13
47 ± 14
46 ± 13
NS
Initial thyroid surgical management
Total thyroidectomy
627 (65%)
67 (60%)
560 (66%)
NS
Two-part total thyroidectomy
336 (35%)
45 (40%)
291 (34%)
Initial neck dissection surgical management
Central neck dissection lateral
86 (9%)
7 (6%)
79 (9%)
NS
Neck dissection mediastinal
33 (4%)
3 (3%)
30 (4%)
Dissection
1 (0.1%)
0 (0%)
1 (0.1%)
Unspecified neck dissection
2 (0.2%)
0 (0%)
2 (0.2%)
Histology
Papillary
915 (96%)
108 (96%)
807 (95%)
NS
Follicular
48 (4%)
4 (4%)
44 (5%)
Staging
T1
603 (63%)
58 (52%)
545 (64%)
0.012
T2
360 (37%)
54 (48%)
306 (36%)
Nx/N0
821 (85%)
86 (77%)
735 (86%)
0.024
N1a/N1b [N1a, N1b]
142 (15%) [116, 23
26 (23%)
116 (14%)
Data are presented as number (percentages), unless otherwise specified. Positive versus clear margins. Unspecified neck dissection: neck dissection was done but extent was not specified in the operative report.
