Coexistent Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Modulates Lymph Node Metastasis Burden in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Single-Center Study in South Chi
A retrospective study of 668 cN0 papillary thyroid carcinoma patients investigated the impact of coexistent Hashimoto's thyroiditis on central lymph node metastasis patterns and identified independent risk factors for me
This single-center study from South China examined how concurrent autoimmune thyroid disease influences surgical outcomes in patients with early-stage papillary thyroid carcinoma. Understanding this interaction is critical for metabolic researchers and clinicians managing complex endocrine-pathology cases, as it may alter standard surgical protocols for lymph node management.
The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 668 cN0 PTC patients who underwent initial surgery at Huizhou Central People's Hospital between August 2024 and July 2025. Patients were stratified into an HT-PTC group (n = 117) and a PTC-only group (n = 551) based on postoperative histopathological findings to compare clinicopathological features and central lymph node metastasis characteristics.
Results indicated that the HT-PTC group exhibited significantly higher rates of multifocality and central lymph node dissection, alongside lower BMI and serum thyroglobulin levels compared with the PTC-only group. Multivariable logistic regression identified tumor size ≤ 1 cm as an independent predictor of CLNM in patients with coexistent Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
For HT-PTC patients with tumors ≤ 1 cm and no other high-risk factors, the necessity of prophylactic central lymph node dissection warrants individualized assessment combining clinical data and intraoperative observations to avoid overtreatment. This paper emphasizes that while HT is associated with increased metastatic burden, specific patient subgroups may not require aggressive surgical intervention based on tumor size alone.