Aim of the study: The aim of this retrospective study was to propose a therapeutic strategy according to clinic and pathologic presentations, in differentiated thyroid carcinoma in patients less than 20 years of age.
Patients and methods: From 1995 to 2002, 74 patients less than 20 years of age were operated on for a differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Patients were divided in two groups according to the presence of lymph node (LN) detected before operation (19 "with LN" and 55 "without LN").
Results: Surgery consisted of total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection in the group "with LN". In the second group "without LN", total thyroidectomy was performed in 19 patients (associated with lymph node dissection in seven) and loboisthmectomy in 29 patients. Post operative radio iodine ablation was performed in 25 patients (16 "with LN" and nine "without LN"). During the follow up (median 71 months), 9/19 patients "with LN" underwent surgery for lymph node recurrence. Four patients of the "without LN" group were reoperated for recurrence in the controlateral thyroid lobe after initial loboisthmectomy. Initial presence of lymph nodes was a risk factor for reoperation. Survival without reoperation at 5 and 10 years was 58% and 38% for the "with LN" group and 96% and 91% for the "without LN" group respectively (P < 0.001). At the time of analysis, all patients were alive. Ninety percent of patients were in remission (68% of "with LN" and 98% of "without LN" patients).
Conclusion: The risk of reoperation for lymph node recurrence during first post operative year is important in the "with LN" group. Therapeutic strategy consists of total thyroidectomy, complete lymph node dissection, radio iodine administration and l-thyroxine treatment. In "without LN" patients risk of lymph node recurrence is low. Treatment consist of total thyroidectomy, lymph node dissection and radio iodine administration are not systematic.