Faculty Bibliography

CONTEXT: Although commonly performed, data are lacking regarding efficacy and safety of lymph node dissection (LND) for recurrent/persistent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy and morbidity of LND in recurrent/persistent PTC. DESIGN: Retrospective review of central or lateral LND performed for persistent/recurrent PTC between January 2004 and March 2006. SETTING: Multidisciplinary thyroid cancer clinic with a single surgeon at an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-five patients who underwent 79 LND for persistent/residual PTC. Safety analysis included all 79 resections. Exclusion criteria for the efficacy analysis were factors prohibiting evaluation of thyroglobulin (Tg) response. Forty-one resections were included in the efficacy analysis. INTERVENTION: Selective LND per standard of care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Primary outcome was the Tg response to LND. Secondary outcomes were surgical complications. RESULTS: Thirty-nine of the 41 evaluable resections also had Tg data allowing classification of Tg response. Of 39 classifiable resections, 16 (41%) resulted in undetectable postoperative stimulated Tg levels. An additional 12 resections resulted in significant (> or =50%) reductions in suppressed or stimulated Tg levels for an overall improvement rate of 72%. Of all 79 resections, 25 (32%) resulted in minor and 7 (9%) resulted in major complications. CONCLUSIONS: LND for persistent/recurrent PTC is a relatively safe procedure in experienced hands. It can lead to an undetectable Tg in 41% of cases and produce a major Tg reduction in an additional 31%. Its efficacy in short-term follow-up is comparable with that reported for I-131, and it should be considered in the management of persistent/recurrent PTC.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether there is a benefit to resection of primary gastrointestinal carcinoid neoplasm with hepatic metastases. We investigated whether primary tumor resection in this setting led to a significant difference in outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients with abdominal carcinoid neoplasms between 1995 and 2006 was performed. Data collected on patients with proven carcinoid liver metastases at initial diagnosis included whether the primary neoplasm was resected, time to progression of liver metastases, and status at last follow-up. Progression-free survival and survival were calculated by the method of Kaplan-Meier and compared by the log-rank test. RESULTS: There were 84 patients, 60 of whom had their primary neoplasm resected. The resected group had a greater median progression-free survival of 56 months, compared with 25 months for the primary nonresected group (P < .001). Median survival time for the resected group was longer at 159 months, compared with 47 months for the nonresected group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Resection of the primary neoplasm is associated with better progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with abdominal carcinoid neoplasms. Therefore, localization and resection of the primary neoplasm should be considered, even among patients in whom the primary neoplasm is asymptomatic.