Natural History and Predictive Factors of Outcome in Medullary Thyroid Microcarcinoma
Authors' conclusion
Most sporadic micro-MTCs are detected incidentally and are generally associated with good outcomes. Size is not significantly associated with outcomes. Using grade, LNM, and postoperative calcitonin allows for the identification of patients at risk of recurrence to personalize management.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with surgically managed sporadic medullary thyroid microcarcinoma <1 cm (micro-MTC), 1995–2022; median age 60 years, median tumour size 4 mm, 67% female; hereditary disease excluded22 hereditary excluded
- Participants
- 64 patients
- Outcome
- Recurrence, time to recurrence and disease-specific survival
Methodological detailsprospectively maintained surgery database, single specialist endocrine surgery and endocrinology unit, pathology slide review
- Prospectively maintained surgery database
- Single specialist endocrine surgery and endocrinology unit
- Pathology slide review
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
median follow-up 6.6 years
- Developed recurrence
- 5 (12%)
- Died of MTC
- 3 (7%)
- 10-year survival, high grade and lymph node metastasis (LNM) vs low grade and no LNM
- 75% vs 100% (HR = 831; P < .01)
- High grade, LNM and increased calcitonin associated with recurrence
- P < .01
- Recurrence with low grade micro-MTC and normal postoperative calcitonin
- 0
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Baseline characteristics
- Incidental diagnosis
- 36 (86%)
- High grade
- 4 (10%)
- LNM
- 5 (12%)
- Elevated postoperative calcitonin
- 9 (21%)
Original publication
Natural History and Predictive Factors of Outcome in Medullary Thyroid Microcarcinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 25 March 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →