Long-term survival rates in young patients with thyroid carcinoma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Thyroid carcinoma in patients younger than 18 years is rare. It is associated with a greater risk of metastases. However, the prognosis for these patients is better when compared with that of adults.

OBJECTIVE:

To present the experience of a single institution in the treatment of patients with thyroid carcinoma during childhood and adolescence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Thirty-eight patients, ranging in age from 4 to 18 years, were diagnosed as having thyroid carcinoma. Pathologic types of carcinoma included 29 papillary, 4 follicular, 1 Hürthle cell, and 4 medullary cases.

RESULTS:

Hypocalcemia was the main complication, being transitory in 9 patients (24%) and permanent in 6 patients (16%). Vocal cord palsy occurred in 2 patients (5%). Two patients (5%) had a surgical site infection. After a mean follow-up of 9.5 years (range, 1-40 years), 28 patients (74%) were alive and had no evidence of disease, 3 (8%) were alive and had recurrent disease, 4 (11%) died (2 of the disease and 2 of non-cancer-related causes), and 3 (8%) were lost to follow-up. The survival rates at 10 years for the patients with papillary, follicular, and medullary carcinoma were 93%, 100%, and 50%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

Thyroid carcinoma in patients younger than 18 years has a good prognosis even in the presence of neck or distant metastasis. Total thyroidectomy, associated with adjuvant radioactive iodine therapy and thyroidal suppression or not, is effective in patients with a well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

• Authors: Luiz Paulo Kowalski, João Gonçalves Filho, Clóvis Antonio Lopes Pinto, André Lopes Carvalho, Beatriz de Camargo
• Journal: Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg) Vol. 129 Issue 7 Pg. 746-9 (Jul 2003) ISSN: 0886-4470 [Print] United States
• PMID: 12874076 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adenocarcinoma, Follicular (mortality, radiotherapy, surgery)
• Adolescent
• Carcinoma, Medullary (mortality, radiotherapy, surgery)
• Carcinoma, Papillary (mortality, radiotherapy, surgery)
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Prognosis
• Survival Analysis
• Thyroid Neoplasms (mortality, radiotherapy, surgery)
• Thyroidectomy