Clinical Implication of Bilateral and Unilateral Multifocality in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Study

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is commonly characterized by multifocality, which is associated with aggressive features and a less favorable prognosis. The current study aimed to compare the clinicopathologic characteristics and long-term oncological outcomes of bilateral and unilateral multifocal PTC. The medical records of 1745 patients with multifocal PTC who underwent thyroid surgery at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The clinicopathological characteristics and recurrence rates were compared based on cancer laterality. Further, 357 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were matched to investigate the recurrence risk and disease-free survival (DFS). Before propensity score matching (PSM), there was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the bilateral and unilateral multifocal PTC groups. Cancer laterality was not a predictor of DFS based on the Cox regression analyses. However, after PSM, unilateral multifocality was associated with a significantly high risk of recurrence. Similarly, unilateral multifocality was associated with a significantly poor DFS based on the Kaplan–Meier analysis. Compared with bilateral PTC, unilateral multifocal PTC was associated with a poor DFS. A comprehensive preoperative examination should be performed to detect multifocality before the initial surgical intervention for optimal treatment. Postoperative short-term follow-up is recommended for unilateral multifocal PTC for recurrence surveillance.