Is Male Gender a Prognostic Factor for Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma?

Background Male gender is a prognostic factor of poor outcome in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We investigated the prognostic role of male gender in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods We included 2930 patients who underwent surgery at Asan Medical Center for PTC. Clinicopathologic characteristics from the patients’ medical records were compared for male and female PTC patients. Independent prognostic factors for recurrence in PTC and PTMC were evaluated after propensity score matching analysis. The median follow-up period was 82 months. Results Recurrence and death were more common in male patients with PTC than in female patients with PTC (12.6 vs. 9.6%, p = 0.03 and 2.2 vs. 0.6%, p 1 cm (HR = 3.06, 95% confidence interval 1.34–6.98, p = 0.008). Conclusions Male gender is an independent prognostic factor for recurrence in PTC >1 cm, but it is not a prognostic factor in PTMC.