Role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in papillary thyroid carcinoma in Vietnam

Abstract

This research will provide the feasible, predictive values in metastasis of SLN biopsy among Vietnamese patients with thyroid carcinoma. 122 patients were recruited in this study with 18 men (14.8%) and 104 women (85.2%). Tumors were in T1 stage in 59 patients (48.4%), in T2 stage in 14 patients (11.5%), in T3 stage in 45 patients (36.9%), and in T4 stage in 4 patients (3.2%). The SLN was identified by intraoperative injection of methylene blue in all cases (100%). Metastasis in SLN was reported in 53 cases (43.4%). Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of SLN biopsy were 79.1%, 100%, 87.7%, 100% and 79.7%, respectively. SLN biopsy is technically feasible and safe procedure, which can reveal occult metastasis among PTC patients with cN0 stage, who may get benefit from selective neck dissection. However, blue method of SLN detection makes SLN biopsy of limited use in the control of clinically node-negative papillary thyroid carcinoma because of low sensitivity and a high false-negative rate.