Xuewei Zhuang

Shandong University, China

Title: Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Clinical Characteristics and Stratification of Treatment Strategies

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Biography

Xuewei Zhuang is an Adjunct Professor and Chief Technologist with extensive experience in clinical laboratory medicine and biomedical research. He has led 10 national- and provincial-level research projects, with cumulative research funding exceeding RMB 3 million. As a first or corresponding author, he has published more than 40 SCI-indexed papers and over 20 articles in Chinese core journals. He holds three authorized invention patents and serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals. His research focuses on clinical laboratory diagnostics, molecular and translational oncology, and clinical evaluation of malignant tumors, particularly risk stratification and individualized management strategies for thyroid cancer.

Abstract

Aim: To compare the clinical characteristics of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and to develop a risk-stratified framework for treatment selection.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed adults with newly diagnosed, pathologically confirmed PTMC or PTC who underwent first-time thyroid surgery at Jinan Shizhong District People’s Hospital between May 2023 and May 2024. PTMC was defined as a maximum tumor diameter of ?10 mm. Demographic, ultrasound, TNM staging, BRAF V600E mutation, multifocality, capsular invasion, and cervical lymph-node metastasis data were analyzed.

Results: Among 231 patients, 186 had PTMC and 45 had PTC. Mean age was similar between groups (45.97 ± 10.63 vs 45.31 ± 11.55 years). Sex, BRAF V600E mutation, tumor multifocality, and capsular invasion did not differ significantly. TNM stage, TI-RADS classification, and cervical lymph-node metastasis differed significantly (P<0.05). Mean tumor diameter was 0.59 ± 0.23 cm in PTMC and 1.51 ± 0.46 cm in PTC. Cervical lymph-node metastasis occurred in 34.9% of PTMC patients and 62.2% of PTC patients. Within PTMC, larger tumors, higher TI-RADS classification, multifocality, and male sex were associated with greater nodal risk.

Conclusions: TNM stage, TI-RADS classification, tumor size, and cervical lymph-node status can support individualized treatment selection. Active surveillance may be appropriate for carefully selected low-risk PTMC, whereas thermal ablation or surgery should be considered according to tumor size, invasion, and nodal or distant metastasis.