AUTHOR=Yi Zhang , Siyu Li , Lijun Fu , Danhua Zhang , Jianhua Li , Xinguang Qiu 

TITLE=Efficacy, safety, and controversy of ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.1068210

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2022.1068210

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Objective: To evaluate the safety effect, and controversy on the treatment outcomes of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).
Materials and Methods: This study is assessed the medical records of 142 patients with primary T1N0M0 PTC tumors after RFA between 2014 and 2022. 4 patients underwent delayed surgery (DS) after RFA and 411 T1N0M0 patients underwent DS were recorded. Outcomes were compared between RFA and DS groups after propensity score matching (PSM).
Results: The maximal diameter (MD) and volume (V) increased in months 1 (P < 0.01) and reduced after the 6-month follow-up (all P < 0.01). The disappearance and disease progression rates were 53.5 % and 2.1 %, respectively. The complication and disease progression rates had no significant difference between RFA and DS (P>0.05). In some cases, the tumors were not fully inactivated after RFA, and the central compartment lymph node (CCLN) were metastasis. The CCLN metastasis rate was 13.4%. MD, V and clustered calcifications were independent risk factors for CCLN metastasis by univariate analysis.
Conclusions: RFA is an effective and safe treatment option in selected patients with solitary T1N0M0 PTC. There are the risks of tumor incompletely ablated and CCLN metastasis.