Incidence of thyroid papillary cancer in contra-lateral lobe

Prognosis of thyroid papillary cancer is quite well longlasting, so a 10- yr survival is observed in more than90% cases. In this study, rate of incidence of t thyroid papillary cancer in conralateral lobe was assessed among patients who had a surgical thyroidectomy re-operation. In this retrospective study, we examined 82 patients diagnosed with thyroid papillary cancer that had thyroid lobectomy surgery first and thyroidectomy re-operation next from 1376 to 1386. Of 82 patients studied, 33 (40%) were diagnosed with papillary cancer in contralateral lobe. No significant relation was observed between age, sex, size of original tumor, interval between 2 surgical operations and incidence rate of papillary cancer in contralateral lobe. But due to tumor's multifocusing and presence of metastasis spread to lymphatic glands, an increase in tumor risk was brought about in remaining of thyroid. Following thyroidectomy re-operation, no complications were common highly, but a few of them included: RLN transient paralysis in 6 patients (7.3%); RLN permanent paralysis in 2 patients (2.5%) fleeting hypokalemia in 9 patients (11%); and persistent hypoparathyoidism in 1 patient (1.2%). Following surgical operation, 5 patients (6%) suffered hematoma 2 cases of which needed re-operation. Surprisingly, incidence rate of thyroid papillary cancer was relatively high in remaining tissue of contralateral lobe. We believe that such patients must undergo treatment of thyroidectomy re-operation which can be performed with acceptable complication rate, maintaining patient’s health.