Prognostic implications of lymph node yield in pediatric patients with N1b papillary thyroid cancer

•The optimum extent of neck lymphadenectomy on disease prognosis is unclear, and studies on this topic are sparse in pediatric PTC, despite the need for such data to help guide practice. Under the scenario of the high prevalence of N1b status observed in pediatric PTC, the current study was designed to investigate the association between LN yield and oncological outcomes in pediatric patients with N1b PTC.•To our knowledge, this was the first study to assess the implications of LN yield on oncological outcomes in pediatric patients with N1b PTC. Our study suggested that LN yield was an independent predictor of overall outcomes. At a cutoff value of 42 LNs, a less-extensive lymphadenectomy (