Role of lymphatic tracers in lymph node dissection and pathological examination of papillary thyroid carcinoma / 中国肿瘤临床

ABSTRACT

Objective:To define the role of lymph tracers in lymph node dissection and pathological examination of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods:Patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who met inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomly assigned into the three groups, namely, carbon nanoparticle (CN), methylene blue (MB), and conventional surgery (CS) groups. The number of detected lymph nodes in each group was summed, and pathological examination was conducted. Histological examination of the lymph node specimens in the tracer group was performed based on the classification of staining and nonstaining groups. Results:Major complications such as anaphylaxis did not occur after injection of CN and MB. The average of the detected lymph nodes was higher in the tracer group than in the CS group, and the detection rate of the lymph node was higher in the CN group than in the MB group. In addition, the rate of cancer metastasis was higher in the group with stained lymph node than in the group with unstained lymph node. The index of the CN group was higher than that of the MB group. Conclusion:The tracing effect and lymphatic tropism of CNs were stronger than MB. The thyroid lymph tracer technique may promote the normalization and thoroughness of lymph node dissection in thyroid cancer.