Positive preoperative circulating tumor cells level associated with lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma patients with capsular invasion

Table 3 Comparison of clinicopathological features between PTC with and without LNM in patients without capsular invasion

Clinicopathological features	Non-LNM (n = 272)	LNM (n = 154)	p values
Age (Years)
< 55, n (%)	220(80.9%)	129(83.8%)	0.513
≥ 55, n (%)	52(19.1%)	25(16.2%)	0.513
Gender
Male, n (%)	45(16.5%)	38(24.7%)	0.056
Female, n (%)	227(83.5%)	116(75.3%)	0.056
Thyroid function
Normal, n (%)	232(85.3%)	139(90.3%)	0.176
Abnormal, n (%)	40(14.7%)	15(9.7%)	0.176
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
No, n (%)	200(73.5%)	119(77.3%)	0.418
Yes, n (%)	72(26.5%)	35(22.7%)	0.418
Multifocality
No, n (%)	223(82.0%)	111(72.1%)	0.020
Yes, n (%)	49(18.0%)	43(27.9%)	0.020
Maximum lesion diameter
≤ 1 cm, n (%)	242(89.0%)	99(64.3%)	< 0.001
> 1 cm, n (%)	30(11.0%)	55(35.7%)	< 0.001
T stage
T1-T2, n (%)	271(99.6%)	151(98.1%)	0.137
T3-T4, n (%)	1(0.4%)	3(1.9%)	0.137
Preoperative CTCs (FU/3mL)
Negative (< 8.7)	112(41.2%)	57(37.0%)	0.411
Positive (≥ 8.7)	160(58.8%)	97(63.0%)	0.411

PTC, papillary thyroid carcinoma; LNM, lymph node metastasis; CTC, circulating tumor cell

ISSN: 1477-7819