Objective: This study aims to investigate the risk factors of prelaryngeal lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma and its clinical application value.
Methods: The clinical pathological features and metastatic risks were statistically analyzed by reviewing 254 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, who received their first operation and prelaryngeal lymph node dissection in our department.
Results: The detection of prelaryngeal lymph nodes, tumor size and any paratracheal lymph node metastasis were correlated with the number of paratracheal lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05), but these were not correlated with age, gender, multiple foci, tumor size, any paratracheal lymph node metastasis, metastatic location, or foci location (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Paratracheal lymph node metastasis indicates a high possibility of prelaryngeal lymph node metastasis. Paratracheal lymph node dissection combined with prelaryngeal lymph node dissection should be simultaneously considered in operations for thyroid papilla carcinoma.
Keywords: papillary thyroid cancer, delphian lymph node, lymph node metastasis, lymph node dissection, tumor