{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T10:34:56Z","timestamp":1787654096867,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,30]],"date-time":"2023-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1675036800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Endocrinol."],"abstract":"Background<\/jats:title>Diagnosis of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, defined as papillary thyroid carcinoma measuring 1cm or less in greatest diameter, has increased with improvements in ultrasound technology and widespread familiarity and utilization. Given the indolent course of papillary thyroid carcinoma, active surveillance is considered an acceptable alternative to surgical resection for select patients. Candidacy for active surveillance is determined by a number of patient and tumor characteristics. Specifically, the location of the tumor within the thyroid gland plays one of the key roles in decision making. Here we evaluate characteristics of the primary tumor and distance to the thyroid capsule in association with locoregional metastases to help guide risk assessment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Methods<\/jats:title>Retrospective chart review of all thyroid surgeries performed by two surgeons at one medical center from 2014-2021 to evaluate characteristics of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma on preoperative ultrasound that are associated with locoregional metastatic disease.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Results<\/jats:title>Our data show a sensitivity of 65% and specificity of 95% for identifying regional metastases in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma using preoperative ultrasound. We found no correlation between regional metastasis and size of tumor, distance to thyroid capsule or trachea, tumor contour, or presence of autoimmune thyroiditis. Nodules in the superior or midpole were associated with central or lateral neck metastases, whereas nodules in the isthmus or inferior pole were only associated with central neck metastases.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Conclusions<\/jats:title>Active surveillance may be a reasonable option for even those papillary thyroid microcarcinomas adjacent to the thyroid capsule.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2023.1101705","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,30]],"date-time":"2023-01-30T07:11:01Z","timestamp":1675062661000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Prognostication of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma based on preoperative ultrasound"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Samuel M.","family":"Cohen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julia E.","family":"Noel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Baroody","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa A.","family":"Orloff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/thy.2015.0116","article-title":"The impact of diagnostic changes on the rise in thyroid cancer incidence: A population-based study in selected high-resource countries","volume":"25","author":"Vaccarella","year":"2015","journal-title":"Thyroid Oct"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.295.18.2164","article-title":"Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the united states, 1973-2002","volume":"295","author":"Davies","year":"2006","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2017.2719","article-title":"Trends in thyroid cancer incidence and mortality in the united states, 1974-2013","volume":"317","author":"Lim","year":"2017","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMp1409841","article-title":"Korea's thyroid-cancer \"epidemic\"\u2013screening and overdiagnosis","volume":"371","author":"Ahn","year":"2014","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/105072503321669875","article-title":"An observation trial without surgical treatment in patients with papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid","volume":"13","author":"Ito","year":"2003","journal-title":"Thyroid"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1007\/s00268-009-0303-0","article-title":"An observational trial for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma 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Jan"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1089\/thy.2013.0367","article-title":"Patient age is significantly related to the progression of papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid under observation","volume":"24","author":"Ito","year":"2014","journal-title":"Thyroid"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00268-015-3108-3","article-title":"Risk factors for central compartment lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: A meta-analysis","volume":"39","author":"Qu","year":"2015","journal-title":"World J Surg"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21037\/gs-20-478","article-title":"The relationship between central lymph node metastasis and the distance from tumor to thyroid capsule in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma without capsule invasion","volume":"9","author":"Zhu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Gland Surg"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2020.00436","article-title":"Clinical and ultrasonic risk factors for lateral lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"10","author":"Xue","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Oncol"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00268-015-3184-4","article-title":"Revisiting low-risk thyroid papillary microcarcinomas resected without observation: Was immediate surgery necessary","volume":"40","author":"Ito","year":"2016","journal-title":"World J Surg"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamaot