Tumor Size as a Predictive Indicator for Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: An Inverted L‐Shaped Curve Analysis Based on the SEER Database
Authors' conclusion
The results of this study confirm that tumor size significantly determines the likelihood of LNM in patients with PTC. We found an inverse l-shaped relationship between tumor size and the probability of LNM. As the tumor size increased below 1.978 cm, the likelihood of LNM increased, but not with tumor size above that threshold. These findings provide new insights into the complex relationship between tumor size and LNM in PTC.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), SEER database 1992–2019
- Participants
- 48,021 patients
- Exposure
- Tumor size and lymph node metastasis (LNM)
- Outcome
- LNM by tumor size
Methodological detailspopulation-based (SEER database), logistic regression, spline curve fitting, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, extrathyroidal extension (ETE), histopathology, distant metastases
- Population-based (SEER database)
- Logistic regression
- Spline curve fitting
- Adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, ETE, histopathology, distant metastases
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Tumor size <1.978 cm: OR for LNM
2.363
95% CI 2.214–2.523
Tumor size >1.978 cm: OR for LNM
1.031
95% CI 1.003–1.061
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
LNM prevalence and tumor size
- Median tumor size, all patients
- 1.3 cm
- Patients with LNM
- 12,365 (25.75%)
- Median tumor size, LNM patients
- 1.9 cm
- Significant difference in tumor size between LNM-positive and LNM-negative
Original publication
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