Minimal extrathyroid extension in papillary thyroid carcinoma does not result in increased rates of either cause-specific mortality or postoperative tumor recurrence.

Background: This study assessed the influence of extrathyroid extension (EE) on cause-specific mortality (CSM) and tumor recurrence (TR) in patients treated for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Methods: We studied outcome in 3,524 patients with PTC without distant metastases at diagnosis. CSM and TR were investigated in 422 patients with gross EE (GEE) or microscopic EE (MEE).

Results: The 30-year CSM rate for GEE of 25% was 12-fold greater (P < .001) than 2% seen with surgically intra-thyroid tumors (SIT); no patient who underwent MEE died of PTC. No difference (P = .36) existed in CSM rates between 127 MEE and 3,102 microscopically intra-thyroid tumors (MITs). The 20-year TR rate for GEE was 43% versus 12% with SIT (P < .001). Analyzing only 2,067 pN0 tumors, we found that GEE patients had greater TR rates (all sites), compared with SIT or MEE (P < .001). When 44 MEE were compared with 1,941 MIT cases, TR (all sites) rates were not different (P = .74). In patients aged >45 with tumors <41 mm, 20-year TR rates for MIT (stages I/II) and MEE (stage III) were not different at 4.7% and 3.8% (P = .71).

Conclusion: MEE without concomitant GEE did not increase rates of either CSM or TR in PTC. Accordingly, these results raise concerns regarding current AJCC staging recommendations.