Recurrence and mortality in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

We examined the factors associated with increased recurrence and/or mortality of 195 patients with primary differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Of 171 patients who underwent at least, resection of the primary macroscopic tumor (curable), 26 patients (15%) developed recurrence and 6 of these patients died from the disease. Sixteen (67%) of 24 patients with initial distant metastasis or grossly malignant tumor residua in the neck after the operation (non-curable patients) died from the disease. In the curable patients, age, sex and tumor size correlated significantly with recurrence and/or mortality. When the characteristics of patients who died after recurrence were compared to those who survived after recurrence, however, only the patient's age correlated significantly with mortality. In the non-curable patients, the histologic subtype correlated significantly with mortality. It may be concluded, therefore, that the risk factors which affect mortality in differentiated thyroid cancer differ between curable and non-curable patients.