Papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid gland: Analysis of prognostic factors including histological subtype

Objective: To evaluate the prognosis of papillary microcarcinoma (PMC) of the thyroid. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Italy. Subjects: 89 patients treated for papillary micro carcinoma of thyroid and followed up for at least 6 years (range 6-12). Intervention: Total thyroidectomy and, for lymph node metastases, laterocervical lymphadenectomy. Main outcome measures: Sex distribution, mode of onset of disease, diameter of tumour, histological type, histological stage, presence of lymph node metastases at the time of operation and type of operation. Results: When the disease presented with laterocervical lymph nodes it was histologically more aggressive and included follicular (n = 3) and sclerosing (n = 4) types. Conclusion: Papillary microcarcinoma has an excellent prognosis if managed initially by total thyroidectomy.