The Advantage of Total Thyroidectomy to Avoid Reoperation for Incidental Thyroid Cancer in Multinodular Goiter

• Published in: Archives of surgery (Chicago. 1960) Vol. 139; no. 2; pp. 179 - 182
• Main Authors: Giles, Yasemin, Boztepe, Harika, Terzioğlu, Tarik, Tezelman, Serdar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL American Medical Association 01.02.2004
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy, Needle; Endocrinopathies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; General aspects; Goiter, Nodular - pathology; Goiter, Nodular - surgery; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Non tumoral diseases. Target tissue resistance. Benign neoplasms; Postoperative Care; Preoperative Care; Probability; Prospective Studies; Reoperation - statistics & numerical data; Risk Assessment; Thyroid Neoplasms - pathology; Thyroid Neoplasms - surgery; Thyroid. Thyroid axis (diseases); Thyroidectomy - methods; Treatment Outcome; Endocrinopathy; Medicine; Reoperation; Treatment; Thyroid cancer; Goiter; Surgery; Thyroid diseases; Total; Malignant tumor; Thyroidectomy
• ISSN: 0004-0010; 2168-6254; 1538-3644; 2168-6262
• DOI: 10.1001/archsurg.139.2.179

HYPOTHESIS To investigate the impact of total thyroidectomy on the rate of completion thyroidectomy for incidentally found thyroid cancer in euthyroid multinodular goiter. DESIGN A randomized, prospective clinical trial. SETTING A tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Patients with euthyroid multinodular goiter without any preoperative suspicion of malignancy, history of familial thyroid cancer, or previous exposure to radiation were randomized (according to a random table) to total or near-total thyroidectomy leaving no remnant tissue or less than 1 g (group 1; n = 109) or bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy leaving 5 g or more of remnant tissue (group 2; n = 109). Patients with preoperative or perioperative suspicion of malignancy were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We compared the complication rates and the incidence of thyroid cancer requiring radioactive iodine ablation and completion thyroidectomy between groups. RESULTS There were no permanent complications. The rates of temporary unilateral vocal cord dysfunction and hypoparathyroidism showed no significant difference between groups 1 and 2 (0.9% vs 0.9% and 1.8% vs 0.9%, respectively; P>.05). Papillary cancer was found in 10 group 1 patients (9.2%) and 8 group 2 patients (7.3%) (P = .80). Of the 9 patients requiring radioactive iodine ablation, reoperation was avoided in 5 group 1 patients; the remaining 4 group 2 patients underwent completion thyroidectomy (P = .007). CONCLUSION We recommend total or near-total thyroidectomy in multinodular goiter to eliminate the necessity for early completion thyroidectomy in case of a final diagnosis of thyroid cancer.Arch Surg. 2004;139:179-182-->