Management of the Neck in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Cognetti, David M.; Pribitkin, Edmund A.; Keane, William M.

doi:10.1016/j.soc.2007.10.002

« Previous Next »Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America
Volume 17, Issue 1 , Pages 157-173, January 2008

Management of the Neck in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

David M. Cognetti, MD
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Suite 500, Eye and Ear Building, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Edmund A. Pribitkin, MD
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
William M. Keane, MD
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut Street, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA

Differentiated thyroid cancer is characterized by an excellent long-term prognosis, which unlike other head and neck carcinomas, is not influenced definitively by regional lymph node metastasis. The relative rarity of the disease, together with its tendency for delayed metastasis and its low mortality, makes a prospective randomized trial comparing treatment outcomes difficult. As a result, the effect of cervical lymph node metastases on survival is unclear, making meaningful recommendations for their management somewhat subjective. This article discusses guidelines for the management of the neck in differentiated.