Efficacy and safety of microwave ablation for cervical metastatic lymph nodes arising post resection of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a retrospective study

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) for cervical metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) post resection of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Materials and methods

From November 2015 to November 2018, 14 patients with 38 cervical metastatic LNs treated by MWA were included in this retrospective study. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the changes of LN and serum thyroglobulin levels pre- and post-ablation.

Results

The technical success rate in this study was 100% (38/38). The mean follow-up time was 23.6 ± 9.3 months. On pre-ablation contrast-enhanced ultrasound, 25 LNs showed high-enhancement, 8 LNs showed iso-enhancement, and 5 LNs showed low-enhancement. The median largest diameter of LNs at pre-ablation and 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months post-ablation was 11.5 mm and 9.5, 9.0, 8.0, 8.0, 8.0, 7.0, and 6.0 mm, respectively. The median volume of LNs at pre-ablation and 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months post-ablation were 251.2 mm³ and 206.7, 167.2, 166.2, 155.7, 153.9, 153.9, and 113.1 mm³, respectively. The largest diameter and the volume of the cervical metastatic LNs at the last post-ablation was significantly smaller than the pre-ablation level (p = .0016; p = .0018). Serum Tg level at the last post-ablation (median 1.25 ng/mL) was significantly lower than the pre-ablation level (median 8.35 ng/mL) (p = .001). There were no complications.

Conclusion

MWA is a safe and effective novel treatment option for cervical metastatic LN that emerge post resection of PTC.

Keywords:

• Microwave ablation
• lymph node
• papillary thyroid carcinoma
• ultrasound; metastasis

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all participants for their support in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Science Foundation of China- Japan Friendship (2014-2-QN-16) and China-Japan Friendship Hospital Youth Science and Technology Excellence Project (2015-QNYC-B-12).