Well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Purpose: This study presents our experience with 728 patients treated in our department for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma between 1954-1994. Materials and Methods: The retrospective evaluation of the prognostic implications of the clinical and pathological findings was performed. Age, sex, histological variants, tumor size, and locoregional and distant spread were evaluated as risk factors in relation to the prognosis. Results: During follow-up, which ranged from 1 to 31 years, 125 locoregional and/or distant metastases developed (17.2% of the patients), 87 of which occurred in the first 10 years after initial therapy. Thirty-two patients with papillary cancer and 20 with follicular cancer died of causes related to malignancy of the thyroid. Conclusion: The experience gained in our department has led us to adopt an aggressive approach in the treatment of patients with well-differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company.