The Impact of Pathologically Positive Lymph Nodes in the Clinically Negative Neck: An Analysis of 39,301 Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Purpose: Management of patients with low-risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with clinically uninvolved lymph nodes (cN0 LNs), but who harbor metastatic central LNs (pN1a), remains unclear. The number of central LNs examined, radioactive iodine (RAI) utilization, and survival were compared across cN0 patients based on pN stage: pN0 (negative) versus pNx (unknown) versus pN1a (pathologically positive).

Methods: Adults with a PTC ≥1 cm who were cN0 preoperatively were compared based on surgical pathology using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB; 2003-2011), after univariate and multivariate adjustment.

Disparities in the surgical staging of high-grade endometrial cancer in the United States.

Background: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) recommend lymph node sampling (LNS) as a key component in the surgical staging of high-grade endometrial cancer. Our goal was to examine surgical staging patterns for high-grade endometrial cancer in the United States.

Methods: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was searched for patients who underwent surgery for serous, clear cell, or grade 3 endometrioid endometrial cancer.

American Thyroid Association Guidelines on the Management of Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Task Force Review and Recommendation on the Proposed Renaming of Encapsulated Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Without Invasion to Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features.

American Thyroid Association (ATA) leadership asked the ATA Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Guidelines Task Force to review, comment on, and make recommendations related to the suggested new classification of encapsulated follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma (eFVPTC) without capsular or vascular invasion to noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). The task force consists of members from the 2015 guidelines task force with the recusal of three members who were authors on the paper under review. Four pathologists and one endocrinologist were added for this specific review.

Impact of minimally invasive vs. open distal pancreatectomy on use of adjuvant chemoradiation for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Background: Published data examining the impact of minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) on survival are generally limited to experiences from high-volume institutions. Our aim was to compare utilization of adjuvant chemoradiation and time from surgery until its initiation following MIDP vs. open surgery (ODP) at a national level.

Is There a Minimum Number of Thyroidectomies a Surgeon Should Perform to Optimize Patient Outcomes?

Objective: To determine the number of total thyroidectomies per surgeon per year associated with the lowest risk of complications.

Background: The surgeon volume-outcome association has been established for thyroidectomy; however, a threshold number of cases defining a "high-volume" surgeon remains unclear.

Methods: Adults undergoing total thyroidectomy were identified from the Health Care Utilization Project-National Inpatient Sample (1998-2009).

Defining a Hospital Volume Threshold for Minimally Invasive Pancreaticoduodenectomy in the United States.

Importance: There is increasing interest in expanding use of minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD). This procedure is complex, with data suggesting a significant association between hospital volume and outcomes.

Objective: To determine whether there is an MIPD hospital volume threshold for which patient outcomes could be optimized.

Exploring the Relationship Between Patient Age and Cancer-Specific Survival in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Rethinking Current Staging Systems.

Purpose Patient age is considered to play a unique prognostic role in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), with a distinct staging dichotomization at 45 years of age. This is based on older, limited data demonstrating a marked rise in mortality around the ages of 40 to 50 years. We hypothesized that age is associated with compromised survival from cancer, with no cutoff denoting survival difference.

Hürthle cell carcinoma: current perspectives.

Hürthle cell carcinoma (HCC) can present either as a minimally invasive or as a widely invasive tumor. HCC generally has a more aggressive clinical behavior compared with the other differentiated thyroid cancers, and it is associated with a higher rate of distant metastases. Minimally invasive HCC demonstrates much less aggressive behavior; lesions <4 cm can be treated with thyroid lobectomy alone, and without radioactive iodine (RAI).

Do flame retardant chemicals increase the risk for thyroid dysregulation and cancer?

Purpose Of Review: Flame retardant chemicals are added to consumer products to reduce fire incidence and severity; approximately 1.5 million tons of these chemicals are used annually. However, their widespread use has led to their ubiquitous presence in the environment and chronic accumulation in human tissues.

Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Associated with Germline RET Mutation.

Background: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 is an autosomal dominant inherited syndrome caused by activating mutations in the RET proto-oncogene. The RET DNA variant was previously reported in two isolated medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) cases, but no family studies are available, and its oncogenic significance remains unknown.

Methods: The clinical features, genetic data, and family information of eight index MTC patients with a germline RET variant were assessed.

Leptin Is Produced by Parathyroid Glands and Stimulates Parathyroid Hormone Secretion.

Objective: We asked if leptin and its cognate receptor were present in normal and diseased parathyroid glands, and if so, whether they had any functional effects on parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion in parathyroid neoplasms.

Background: The parathyroid glands acting through PTH play a critical role in the regulation of serum calcium. Based on leptin's recently discovered role in bone metabolism, we hypothesized these glands were the sites of a functional interaction between these 2 hormones.

Extrathyroidal Extension Is Associated with Compromised Survival in Patients with Thyroid Cancer.

Background: Patients with thyroid cancer who have extrathyroidal extension (ETE) are considered to have more advanced tumors. However, data on the impact of ETE on patient outcomes remain limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between ETE and survival in patients with thyroid cancer.

A Novel Ex Vivo Method for Visualizing Live-Cell Calcium Response Behavior in Intact Human Tumors.

The functional impact of intratumoral heterogeneity has been difficult to assess in the absence of a means to interrogate dynamic, live-cell biochemical events in the native tissue context of a human tumor. Conventional histological methods can reveal morphology and static biomarker expression patterns but do not provide a means to probe and evaluate tumor functional behavior and live-cell responsiveness to experimentally controlled stimuli. Here, we describe an approach that couples vibratome-mediated viable tissue sectioning with live-cell confocal microscopy imaging to visualize human parathyroid adenoma tumor cell responsiveness to extracellular calcium challenge.

How Many Lymph Nodes Are Enough? Assessing the Adequacy of Lymph Node Yield for Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Purpose: Patients who undergo surgery for papillary thyroid cancer with only a limited lymph node examination are thought to be at risk for potentially harboring occult disease. However, this risk has not been objectively quantified and may have implications for subsequent management and surveillance.

Methods: Data from the National Cancer Database (1998 to 2012) were used to characterize the distribution of nodal positivity of adult patients diagnosed with localized ≥ 1-cm papillary thyroid cancer who underwent thyroidectomy with one or more lymph nodes (LNs) examined.

2016 American Thyroid Association Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Hyperthyroidism and Other Causes of Thyrotoxicosis.

Background: Thyrotoxicosis has multiple etiologies, manifestations, and potential therapies. Appropriate treatment requires an accurate diagnosis and is influenced by coexisting medical conditions and patient preference. This document describes evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of thyrotoxicosis that would be useful to generalist and subspecialty physicians and others providing care for patients with this condition.

The changing landscape of papillary thyroid cancer: Epidemiology, management, and the implications for patients.

The incidence of thyroid cancer has tripled over the past 3 decades, with the vast majority of the increase noted to be among small, indolent papillary thyroid carcinomas. Substantial overdiagnosis and potential overtreatment have led to a shift in clinical practice toward less aggressive approaches and a focus on improved risk stratification. This shift in practice may be associated with recent evidence suggesting that the increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer is slowing.

Proposing prognostic thresholds for lymph node yield in clinically lymph node-negative and lymph node-positive cancers of the oral cavity.

Background: Prognostic lymph node yield thresholds have been identified and incorporated into treatment guidelines for multiple cancer sites, but not for oral cancer. The objective of this study was to identify optimal thresholds in elective and therapeutic neck dissection for oral cavity cancers.

Methods: Patients with oral cavity cancers in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) were stratified into clinically lymph node-negative (cN0) and clinically lymph node-positive (cN+) cohorts to reflect the differing surgical management for these diseases.

The changing incidence of thyroid cancer.

During the past few decades, the incidence of thyroid cancer has increased substantially in many countries, including the USA. The rise in incidence seems to be attributable both to the growing use of diagnostic imaging and fine-needle aspiration biopsy, which has led to enhanced detection and diagnosis of subclinical thyroid cancers, and environmental factors. The latest American Thyroid Association (ATA) practice guidelines for the management of adult patients with thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer differ substantially from the previous ATA guidelines published in 2009.

Acne Knowledge of Hispanic Parents of Teenagers with Mild to Moderate Acne.

We performed a cross-sectional study of Hispanic and non-Hispanic parents of children with acne using a survey designed to determine their level of awareness of acne and its treatment; 82% of Hispanic parents and 40% of non-Hispanic parents agreed that a health care provider should treat mild acne (p < 0.001). Hispanic parents of adolescents with acne agreed more frequently than non-Hispanic parents that children with mild and moderate acne should be taken to a health care provider for treatment, but they tended not to visit health care providers.

Parathyroid 4D-CT: Multi-institutional International Survey of Use and Trends.

Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) is a new modality for preoperative localization of parathyroid adenomas. We performed a survey study to describe the role and trends in the utilization of 4D-CT. Of 361 radiologists, 200 (55%) reported that 4D-CT was used in their practices.

Lymphovascular invasion is associated with survival for papillary thyroid cancer.

Data are limited regarding the association between tumor lymphovascular invasion and survival for patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This study sought to examine lymphovascular invasion as an independent prognostic factor for patients with PTC undergoing thyroid resection. The National Cancer Data Base (2010-2011) was queried for patients with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy or lobectomy.

T1a Versus T1b Differentiated Thyroid Cancers: Do We Need to Make the Distinction?

Background: The 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system trialed a subdivision of T1 tumors into T1a (<1 cm) and T1b (1.0-2 cm). The 2009 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines recommended total thyroidectomy for tumors >1 cm, and lobectomy for those ≤1 cm.

Molecular-Directed Treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment.

Importance: Thyroid cancer incidence is increasing, and when fine-needle aspiration biopsy results are cytologically indeterminate, the diagnosis is often still established only after thyroidectomy. Molecular marker testing may be helpful in guiding patient-oriented and tailored management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.

Objective: To summarize available data on the use of molecular testing to improve the diagnosis and prognostication of thyroid cancer.