Long term (over five-year) outcomes of thermal ablation vs surgical resection for T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma in danger triangle: a propensity-matched dual-center study
In brief
Thermal ablation matched surgery's 5-year cancer outcomes with fewer complications
In this matched study of 168 patients with small, node-negative papillary thyroid cancer near the thyroid danger triangle, disease progression was similar after thermal ablation and surgery (4.8% vs 6.0%) over median follow-up of more than five years. Ablation was associated with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays, but the retrospective design cannot establish equal cancer control or show which patients should choose it.
- Journal
- Frontiers in endocrinology (Q1)
- Published
- 19 October 2026
- Study design
- Cohort / observational study
- Evidence level
- Level 3, Low (CEBM 3b)
- Authors
- Danling Zhang, Sheng Chen, Jianchuan Yang, Yuhan Qiu, Zhenlong Zhao, Lingpeng Tang, et al.
- PMID
- 42973779
- DOI
- 10.3389/fendo.2026.1887923
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Breast and Endocrine Surgery (paper of the day, 9 November 2026): Long-term thyroid cancer ablation-versus-resection outcomes
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided Thermal Ablation(TA) versus Surgical Resection(SR) for T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma in the thyroid danger triangle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This dual-center retrospective study included patients treated with TA or SR between September 2016 and April 2020. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline characteristics. Outcomes included overall disease progression (Regional lymph node metastasis, local tumor progression (LTP), residual tumor, distant metastasis), disease-free survival (DFS), complication rates, hospital stay duration, procedure time, blood loss. RESULTS: After PSM, 84 patients (age 46.06 ± 10.64; 16 males) in the SR group and 84 patients(age 44.25 ± 12.67; 14 males) in the TA group were observed for a median of 67 months (range, 60-83months) and 68 months (range, 60-105 months), respectively. No significant differences were observed in overall disease progression (6.0% vs 4.8%, P = 0.732), Regional lymph node metastasis (1.2% vs 3.6%, P = 0.306),local tumor progression (LTP) (3.6% vs 1.2%, P = 0.173), or DFS (94% vs 95.2%, P = 0.898). Compared with SR, the TA group had significantly lower complication rates (6.0% vs 16.7%, P = 0.049), shorter hospital stays (median 1 vs 3.3 days, P<0.001), reduced procedure time (23 vs 82 min, P<0.001), less blood loss (1.94 vs 19.76 mL, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Thermal ablation demonstrated no statistically significant difference in long-term oncologic outcomes compared with surgery for T1N0M0 PTC in the thyroid danger triangle, while offering fewer complications and faster recovery.
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.