Pediatric papillary thyroid carcinoma: outcomes after surgery without adjuvant radioactive iodine

Castellanos LE; Zafereo ME; Sturgis EM; Wang JR; Ying AK; Waguespack SG

doi:10.1530/ey.22.3.13

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ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology (2025) 22 3.13 | DOI: 10.1530/ey.22.3.13

ESPEYB25 3. Thyroid Thyroid Cancer (1 abstracts)

3.13. Pediatric papillary thyroid carcinoma: outcomes after surgery without adjuvant radioactive iodine

Castellanos LE , Zafereo ME , Sturgis EM , Wang JR , Ying AK & Waguespack SG

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Jan 21;110(2):e208-e217. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae576. PMID: 39163248

Brief Summary: This ambispective (i.e. both prospective and retrospective) multicenter study evaluated disease outcomes in pediatric patients <19 years old with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) treated with surgery alone (total thyroidectomy ± neck dissection, lobectomy ± neck dissection, or a Sistrunk procedure for ectopic PTC), without adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI). Among 93 patients (median age 16 years) diagnosed between January 1990 and December 2021 in a tertiary cancer center, most had intermediate-risk disease. After a median follow-up of 5.5 years, most patients (85/93; 91%)remained disease-free, with no disease-related deaths. Only 6 patients (6,5%) required additional therapy (additional surgery or RAI).

These findings suggest that selected pediatric PTC patients can achieve excellent outcomes with surgery alone, supporting more individualized and conservative treatment strategies to avoid potential long-term RAI-related side effects.