PAPILLARY MICROCARCINOMAS

The incidence of thyroid papillary microcarcinoma has appeared to incr ease over the last decade, probably because of more extensive use of s erial slices for pathology. Prognosis is generally good, but the aggre ssive nature of certain tumors justifies an examination of the differe nt risk factors such as age, sex, histology type, tumor size, lymph no de involvement, and extrathyroid extension in order to develop a manag ement scheme. Published results have been rather hetereogeneous and do not allow a clear conclusion.