Cancers
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Background: The extent of surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) remains a controversial issue. Since a less aggressive approach is becoming more predominant, we aim here to study the short- and long-term outcomes of DTC patients after hemithyroidectomy. Methods: From a total of 1252 consecutive papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients, 109 treated with hemithyroidectomy and 50 with total thyroidectomy but no I131 were included. ⋯ With a follow-up of 8.6 years (1⁻48), all 109 patients were disease free at last visit, including the 11 patients (10.1%) who received additional treatment. Also, when comparing the hemi- and total thyroidectomy groups no significant differences were found in the rate of persistent and recurrent disease, overall mortality, and disease status at last visit. Conclusions: For properly selected low-risk PTC patients, hemithyroidectomy is a safe treatment option with a favorable long-term outcome.