Probability Data Could Better Direct Lymph Node Removal for Thyroid Cancer

Contact: Samiha Khanna Phone: [phone] Email:[e-mail]://www.dukehealth.orgFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016DURHAM, N.C. -- Surgeons operating on patients with advanced thyroid cancer are often conflicted when deciding how many lymph nodes they should remove to reduce the patient ’s risk of recurrence.If surgeons don ’t evaluate enough lymph nodes, they could leave cancer behind; but extensive surgery close to structures such as nerves, the voice box and parathyroid glands can carry serious risks.A new study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute and Duke Cancer Institute strives to establish objective, quantifiable information for patients and doctors regarding the minimum number of lymph nodes that should be analyzed around a tumor for thorough treatment without unnecessary risk. The retrospective study appears Aug. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.“In these procedures, a lot is left to the surgeon. If the tumor is large or there’s obvious evidence that the cancer is in the lymph nodes, you take them out,” said authorJulie Ann Sosa, M.D., chief of endocrine surgery and leader of the endocrine neoplasia diseases group at the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Duke Cancer Institute.“If there is no evidence of obvious invasion, you can remove them preventatively, but you might not have to,” Sosa said. “That’s the quandary faced by the entire health care team -- for the surgeon, whether to take the lymph nodes...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - August 16, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news