A Prediction Model for Contralateral Central Neck Lymph Node Metastases in Unilateral Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Table 2

Univariate analysis of clinicopathological characteristics correlated with con-CLNM in uni-PTC.

Characteristics	Total (n = 250) (%)	Con-CLNM (+) (n = 75) (%)	Con-CLNM (−) (n = 175) (%)
Age (yrs)	39.67 ± 11.36	35.44 ± 11.38	41.49 ± 10.89	<0.001^b
Age ˂55	225 (90.0)	71 (94.7)	154 (88.0)	0.107^a
Male sex	49 (19.6)	26 (34.7)	23 (13.1)	<0.001^a
TSH level	2.77 ± 4.21	2.44 ± 2.07	2.91 ± 4.84	0.420^b
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis	120 (48.0)	25 (33.3)	95 (54.3)	0.002^a
BRAF^V600E mutation	179 (71.6)	54 (72.0)	125 (71.4)	0.927^a
Sonographic characteristics
Solid composition	240 (96.0)	69 (92.0)	171 (97.7)	0.078^c
Hypoechogenic	220 (88.0)	61 (81.3)	159 (90.9)	0.034^a
Irregular shape	182 (72.8)	58 (77.3)	124 (70.9)	0.292^a
Poorly marginal	167 (66.8)	46 (61.3)	121 (69.1)	0.230^a
Oval	50 (20.0)	12 (16.0)	38 (21.7)	0.301^a
Microcalcifications	212 (84.8)	71 (94.7)	141 (80.6)	0.004^a
Vascularity
Absent	58 (23.2)	17 (22.7)	41 (23.4)	0.381^a
Few	120 (48.0)	32 (42.7)	88 (50.3)
Abundant	72 (28.8)	26 (34.6)	46 (26.3)
Pathological characteristics
Multifocality	21 (8.4)	6 (8.0)	15 (8.6)	0.881^a
Location of primary tumor
Superior lobe	54 (21.6)	19 (25.3)	35 (20.0)	0.539^a
Middle lobe	141 (56.4)	42 (56.0)	99 (56.6)
Inferior lobe	55 (22.0)	14 (18.7)	41 (23.4)
Capsular invasion	83 (33.2)	41 (54.7)	42 (24.0)	<0.001^a
ETE	58 (23.2)	28 (37.3)	30 (17.1)	<0.001^a
Tumor size (mm)	15.95 ± 10.25	19.30 ± 10.83	14.51 ± 9.68	<0.001^b
Diameter >10	155 (62.0)	59 (78.7)	96 (54.9)	<0.001^a
Pathologically confirmed ipsi-CLNM
Present	154 (61.6)	72 (96.0)	82 (46.9)	<0.001^a
Ipsilateral central LN
Metastasis number	2.54 ± 3.27	4.69 ± 3.88	1.61 ± 2.46	<0.001^b
Harvested number	7.62 ± 4.75	7.43 ± 4.64	7.70 ± 4.81	0.674^b
Metastasis ratio	0.34 ± 0.35	0.64 ± 0.30	0.21 ± 0.29	<0.001^b
Pathologically confirmed ipsi-LLNM
Present	86 (34.4)	48 (64.0)	38 (21.7)	<0.001^a

Note: Variables with statistical significance are shown in bold. ^aChi-square test, ^bStudent’s t test, and ^cFisher’s exact test were adopted. Abbreviations: con-CLNM, contralateral central lymph node metastasis; ETE, extrathyroid extension; ipsi-CLNM, ipsilateral central lymph node metastasis; oval, taller than wide; TSH, thyrotropin; uni-PTC, unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma.