Archive | 2019
A Case of a Papillary Thyroid Cancer with Gross Residual Disease after Surgery
Abstract
Locally advanced disease accounts for 5–15% of the differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. Although surgical excision of the entire primary lesion is aimed for the optimum disease management, incomplete resections may occur especially in patients having invasions to recurrent laryngeal nerve, respiratory tract, esophagus, or major vessels. Radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment is the primary adjuvant therapy modality in high-risk DTC cases. In cases with RAI-resistant disease, external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) may be an alternative. However, its role is debated due to the lack of prospective data and also conflicting results in retrospective studies. Since EBRT may have some severe side effects, the consequences of uncontrolled disease and the potential complications of EBRT should be considered comparatively.