Recurrence patterns and survival outcomes in advanced papillary thyroid carcinoma: a retrospective cohort analysis
In brief
Advanced thyroid cancer recurred in 41% of patients initially disease-free after surgery
In this single-center study of 33 patients with advanced papillary thyroid cancer, most were disease-free after surgery, but 11 of the 27 who were disease-free later had a recurrence; median recurrence-free survival was 98 months. Persistent disease after surgery progressed quickly, with median progression-free survival of 4.5 months. The small cohort and incomplete follow-up limit confidence in the possible links between age, sex, and outcomes.
- Journal
- Updates in surgery (Q1)
- Published
- 6 October 2026
- Study design
- Retrospective cohort
- Evidence level
- Level 3, Low (CEBM 3b)
- Authors
- Ann-Kathrin Lederer, Adriana Fiedler, Julia I Staubitz-Vernazza, Oana Lozan, Marie Oliver Metzig, Hauke Lang, et al.
- PMID
- 42837078
- DOI
- 10.1007/s13304-026-02875-5
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Breast and Endocrine Surgery (paper of the day, 11 October 2026): Recurrence patterns in advanced papillary thyroid carcinoma
Abstract
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignant thyroid tumor, with a small proportion of patients presenting with advanced disease. The recent European Society of Endocrine Surgeons (ESES) consensus introduced a refined definition of advanced thyroid cancer. This study aimed to characterize real-world clinical features, treatment patterns, and surgical outcomes of patients with advanced PTC according to the updated ESES definition treated at a high-volume endocrine surgery center. This monocentric, retrospective cohort study included all patients who underwent primary surgery for advanced PTC at a high-volume endocrine surgery center between 2015 and 2023. Clinical data originated from our own patients in the EUROCRINE® registry. A total of 33 patients with advanced PTC were included. Median age at diagnosis was 54 years, 52% were male, and median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 2, indicating a low comorbidity burden. Among patients disease-free after surgery (n = 27), 11 (41%) experienced tumor recurrence, most frequently in lymph nodes and lung combined (36%) or in lymph nodes alone (27%). Median recurrence-free survival was 98 months. Patients with persistent disease after surgery had a poor prognosis, with a median progression-free survival of 4.5 months. Age > 55 years was associated with reduced overall survival (p = 0.007), while male sex was associated with increased recurrence risk (p = 0.047); both findings should be interpreted with caution. Despite advanced disease, most patients achieved disease-free status after primary surgery, with the majority being alive at last follow-up. Due to the limited sample size and missing follow-up data for some patients, these findings should be taken with caution, and larger studies are needed to confirm potential predictors of survival and recurrence.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.