Risk Stratification of Neck Lesions Detected Sonographically During the Follow-Up of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Context: The European Thyroid Association (ETA) has classified posttreatment cervical ultrasound findings in thyroid cancer patients based on their association with disease persistence/recurrence. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess this classification's ability to predict the growth and persistence of such lesions during active posttreatment surveillance of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Design: This was a retrospective, observational study. Setting: The study was conducted at a thyroid cancer center in a large Italian teaching hospital. Patients: Center referrals (2005-2014) were reviewed and patients selected with pathologically-confirmed DTC; total thyroidectomy, with or without neck dissection and/or radioiodine remnant ablation; abnormal findings on two or more consecutive posttreatment neck sonograms; and subsequent follow-up consisting of active surveillance. Baseline ultrasound abnormalities (thyroid bed masses, lymph nodes) were classified according to the ETA system. Patients were divided into group S (those with one or more lesions classified as suspicious) and group I (indeterminate lesions only). We recorded baseline and follow-up clinical data through June 30, 2015. Main Outcomes: The main outcomes were patients with growth (>3 mm, largest diameter) of one or more lesions during follow-up and patients with one or more persistent lesions at the final visit. Results: The cohort included 58 of the 637 DTC cases screened (9%). A total of 113 lesions were followed up (18 thyroid bed masses, 95 lymph nodes). During surveillance (median 3.7 y), group I had significantly lower rates than group S of lesion growth (8% vs 36%, P = .01) and persistence (64% vs 97%, P = .014). The median time to scan normalization was 2.9 years. Conclusions: The ETA's evidence-based classification of sonographically detected neck abnormalities can help identify papillary thyroid cancer patients eligible for more relaxed follow-up.