The Association Between Tumor Tissue Calcification, Obesity, and Thyroid Cancer Invasiveness In A Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the relationships between tumor tissue calcifications of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), body mass index (BMI), and tumor invasiveness.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of 13,995 patients with PTC. Comparisons were made between the clinical and pathologic features of the tumor tissue calcifications group and non-tumor tissue calcifications group. Odds ratios (ORs) of tumor tissue calcifications, BMI, and tumor invasiveness features were calculated using a binary logistic regression model. We analyzed the relationship between tumor tissue calcifications and certain characteristics of thyroid cancer based on the pathologic findings.

RESULTS

BMI was positively correlated with tumor tissue calcifications in patients with PTC (OR, 1.015; P = .011), and obesity increased the risk of tumor tissue calcifications (OR, 1.374; P = .038). Calcifications were positively correlated with T-size (OR, 1.899; P<.001), multifocality (OR, 1.217; P<.001), extrathyroidal extension (ETE) (OR, 1.287; P<.001), high T-stage (OR, 1.765; P<.001), N+ (OR, 1.763; P<.001), and a higher number of lymph node metastases (OR, 1.985; P<.001). Compared with normal-weight patients with tumor tissue calcifications, obese patients with tumor tissue calcifications had an increased risk of ETE (OR, 1.765 vs. OR, 1.300) and N+ (OR, 1.992 vs. OR, 1.784).

CONCLUSION

Tumor tissue calcifications are positively correlated with the invasiveness of PTC. Obesity further promotes the risk of tumor invasiveness in PTC combined with tumor tissue calcifications. These findings suggest that more comprehensive evaluations by trained pathologists may help physicians identify the optimal therapeutic regimens in the postoperative period.

ABBREVIATIONS

BMI = body mass index; CI = confidence interval; ETE = extrathyroidal extension; FT3 = free triiodothyronine; OR = odds ratio; PTC = papillary thyroid carcinoma; RET = rearranged during transfection; TTC = tumor tissue calcification; US = ultrasonography; USC = ultrasonography calcification; WHO = World Health Organization.