Assessing the Role of Inflammatory Markers in Predicting Central Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

The current study sought to assess the predictive value of inflammatory markers, namely the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), in relation to central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).  Materials and Methods: A total of ۷۹ participants with confirmed PTC diagnosis following surgery were included in the study. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and laboratory variables were collected. CLNM was evaluated based on pathological findings. NLR and PLR were calculated to assess their associations with clinicopathological features and metastasis. Results: The study included ۲۶ males (۲۵.۹%) and ۵۳ females (۷۴.۱%), with a mean age of ۴۲.۲۶ years (range ۱۵–۷۴). Significant findings included a higher incidence of CLNM in males (p=۰.۰۴۷) and larger tumor sizes in patients with CLNM (p=۰.۰۴۷). Tumor multifocality was also more common in the CLNM group (۶۲.۵% vs. ۲۸.۹%, p=۰.۰۰۳). Although no significant relationship was found between the inflammatory markers NLR, PLR, and CLNM, a meaningful association was observed between PLR and age in patients with CLNM (r= ۰.۴۱۴, p=۰.۰۱۱). Conclusion: This study demonstrates significant associations between clinicopathological features and CLNM in PTC. Male gender, larger tumor size, and multifocality correlated with higher CLNM rates. While inflammatory markers such as NLR and PLR did not show significant differences, PLR's positive correlation with age in CLNM patients suggests potential prognostic value, warranting further investigation.

کلیدواژه ها:

Thyroid nodule ، Papillary thyroid carcinoma ، Lymph node ، NLR ، PLR