WELL-DIFFERENTIATED THYROID-CARCINOMA

Purpose: This study presents our experience with 728 patients treated in our department for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma between 19 54-1994. Materials and Methods: The retrospective evaluation of the pr ognostic implications of the clinical and pathological findings was pe rformed. 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 pa tients), 87 of which occurred in the first 10 years after initial ther apy. 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 aggre ssive approach in the treatment of patients with well-differentiated c arcinoma of the thyroid gland. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Com pany.