Is Postoperative Adjuvant Radioactive Iodine Ablation Therapy Always Necessary for Intermediate-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients With Central Neck Metastasis?

Background Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is commonly associated with neck lymph node metastasis (LNM), and recurrence does occur after radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation therapy. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of RAI ablation with regard to disease recurrence in intermediate-risk PTC patients with neck LNM. In addition, the study identified possible predisposing risk factors that might benefit from RAI ablation and analyzed common RAI therapy complications among these patients. Methods A retrospective analysis of 349 intermediate-risk PTC patients with neck LNM who underwent thyroidectomy with neck dissection was performed. The oncologic results and clinicopathologic characteristics of these patients together with the incidence of postoperative RAI therapy complications were evaluated. Results Of the 349 patients, disease recurrence after treatment occurred for 27 patients (8%) during a mean follow-up period of 58.7 months (range 7–133 months). The recurrence-free survival curve of the patients who received postoperative RAI therapy ( n = 208) did not differ significantly from that of the patients who did not receive it ( n = 141) ( P = 0.567). Nine patients without adjuvant RAI therapy (6%, 9/141) had recurrence. The recurrence rate for the central LNM patients without RAI therapy was only 2% (2/106). Both of these patients with recurrence had pathologic extranodal spread (ENS) and a high number (> 5) of metastatic central LNs. Postoperative RAI-related complications were observed in 24 patients (12%). Conclusions Postoperative RAI is not necessary for intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer patients with central LNM, especially for patients with negative ENS and low number (< 5) of metastatic lymph nodes.