Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41056029›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of surgery (London, England)2026

Evaluating the necessity of prophylactic lateral neck dissection in medullary thyroid carcinoma based on preoperative calcitonin levels: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Shin Jeong Pak, Douk Kwon, Byung-Chang Kim, Won Woong Kim, Tae Yon Sung, Ki-Wook Chung, Yu-Mi Lee, Jong Ju Jeong

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of surgery (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Covalent FAPI Imaging-Guided Precision Surgery in Patients with Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Phase II Clinical Trial.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2026
    Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Shin Jeong PakDepartment of Surgery, Hanyang University Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-9097-7135
Douk KwonDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Byung-Chang KimDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Won Woong KimDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Tae Yon SungDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ki-Wook ChungDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yu-Mi LeeDepartment of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jong Ju JeongDepartment of Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-4155-6035

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe need for prophylactic lateral neck dissection (LND) in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) patients without clinically evident lateral lymph node (LN) metastasis remains controversial, particularly in those with elevated preoperative calcitonin levels. This study investigated the prognostic impact of prophylactic LND in MTC patients with preoperative calcitonin levels >200 pg/mL, but without clinically suspicious lateral LNs. MATERIALS AND

methodsThis multicenter retrospective cohort study included 103 patients with MTC treated between January 1980 and December 2022 at two tertiary hospitals in Seoul, South Korea. Patients had preoperative calcitonin levels above 200 pg/mL and no clinical evidence of lateral LN metastasis. They were divided into two groups based on whether LND was performed, and their long-term oncological outcomes were compared.

resultsThe median follow-up duration was 90 months. The LND group had significantly larger tumors and higher preoperative calcitonin levels. Although the biochemical cure rate was higher in the LND group than in the No LND group (95.2% vs 82.5%), this difference was not statistically significant ( P = 0.074). No significant differences were observed between the groups in biochemical recurrence, structural recurrence, overall survival, or disease-specific survival. Subgroup analyzes based on preoperative calcitonin levels showed comparable results.

conclusionProphylactic LND did not significantly impact long-term oncologic outcomes in MTC patients without clinically evident lateral LN metastasis, even among those with elevated preoperative calcitonin levels above 200 pg/mL. Although prophylactic LND was associated with higher biochemical cure rates, this did not translate into reduced recurrence rates or improved survival. Routine prophylactic LND may not be necessary, and the decision to perform it should be carefully individualized based on patient-specific factors.

Indexed as

CalcitoninCarcinoma, NeuroendocrineNeck DissectionThyroid NeoplasmsAdultAgedFemaleHumansLymphatic MetastasisMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisRepublic of KoreaRetrospective StudiesThyroidectomyYoung AdultCalcitonincalcitonincohort studymedullary thyroid carcinomaneck dissectionrecurrencesurvival rate

Identifiers

PMID41056029
PMCPMC12825659

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.