Predictive factors for lung metastasis in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer: a clinical prediction study

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate the efficacy of a nomogram for predicting lung metastasis in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer. Methods The SEER database was utilized to collect a dataset consisting of 1,590 patients who were diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2019. This dataset was subsequently utilized for the purpose of constructing a predictive model. The model was constructed utilizing a multivariate logistic regression analysis, incorporating a combination of least absolute shrinkage feature selection and selection operator regression models. The differentiation and calibration of the model were assessed using the C-index, calibration plot, and ROC curve analysis, respectively. Internal validation was performed using a bootstrap validation technique. Results The results of the study revealed that the nomogram incorporated several predictive variables, namely age, T staging, and positive nodes. The C-index had an excellent calibration value of 0.911 (95 % confidence interval: 0.876–0.946), and a notable C-index value of 0.884 was achieved during interval validation. The area under the ROC curve was determined to be 0.890, indicating its practicality and usefulness in this context. Conclusion This study has successfully developed a novel nomogram for predicting lung metastasis in children and adolescent patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Clinical decision-making can be enhanced by assessing clinicopathological variables that have a significant predictive value for the probability of lung metastasis in this particular population.