Predictive value of metastatic lateral lymph node ratio for recurrence in pathologically lateral lymph node‐positive papillary thyroid cancer patients with palpable lymph nodes

This study aimed to identify the predictive value of the extent of metastatic lymph nodes in the central and lateral neck compartment for recurrence in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients with pathologically lateral lymph node metastasis (pN1b).This study enrolled 252 patients with pN1b from PTC.During a mean follow-up of 17.6 years, 55 (21.8%) patients experienced recurrence. Patients with palpable lymph nodes were more likely to have a recurrence than those with nonpalpable lymph nodes (30.1% vs. 17.8%, relative risk 1.7, 95%CI: 1.1-2.7). For patients with palpable metastatic lymph nodes, lymph node ratio of lateral lymph nodes ≥0.5 (aHR = 2.906, 95%CI: 1.29-6.54) and age ≥55 years (aHR = 2.508, 95%CI: 1.12-5.63) were independent prognostic factors. For those without palpable nodes, age ≥55 years (aHR = 2.224, 95%CI: 1.08-4.60) and tumor size >4 cm (aHR = 2.168, 95%CI: 1.01-4.66) were independently predictive of worse RFS.Palpable lymph nodes were approximately twice as likely to recur as nonpalpable nodes. Metastatic lateral lymph node ratio predicts recurrence in pN1b PTC patients with palpable lymph nodes, but not those without ones.