Abstract

CHALA, Andrés Ignacio; FRANCO, Humberto Ignacio; AGUILAR, Carlos Darío  and  CARDONA, Juan Paulo. Descriptive study of thyroid cancer in a twelve year period at Manizales, Colombia. rev. colomb. cir. [online]. 2010, vol.25, n.4, pp.276-289. ISSN 2011-7582.

Introduction. Given the high and increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in our region, it appears of importance to evaluate our experience and compare it with that of other groups in order to adjust our management guidelines and to optimize results in terms of survival, recurrence and morbidity. Materials and Methods. This is a descriptive and retrospective study on the patients managed by the Head and Neck Surgery Group of the Department of Surgery of Universidad de Caldas (Manizales, Colombia) over a period of twelve years. We analyzed the categorical variables with absolute and relative frequencies and the quantitative variables with measure of dispersion and central tendency. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for analysis of survival. Results. There were 544 eligible patients for this study, 84% female, 16% male, with a medium age of 46 years. Distribution by type was as follows: papillary carcinoma 87%, follicular 7.7%, anaplasic 3.5%, and medullary 1.3%. Primary form of treatment was total thyroidectomy with nodal dissection with or without iodine ablation, and radiotherapy in some patients. Ten year survival in differentiated carcinomas was 92%, 70% five year survival in medullary carcinoma, with no survival in anaplasic carcinomas. Recurrence in the well differentiated cancers was 8%. Morbidity related with recurrent nerve damage was 0.9% and with permanent hipoparathyroidsm was 1.1% Conclusion. Surgical intervention is the primary modality of treatment in thyroid cancer. Comparing our experience with that of other authors, we found that total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection and modified neck dissection or larynx or tracheal resection in selected cases, are secure and effective procedures, associated with low morbidity, survival free of disease and good quality of life. A multidisciplinary team was a bastion in the management of thyroid cancer management, and this approach has allowed us to treat even complex cases with results similar to those reported by others.

Keywords : thyroid neoplasms; carcinoma papillary; thyroidectomy.

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