OBJECTIVETo investigate the recurrence and survival of postoperative patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) aged from 25 to 59 years.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 36 patients with DTC treated in our hospital from 1996 to 2011, and the recurrence and survival status of the patients were recorded. Kaplan-Meier analysis was carried out to analyze factors that affect the patient's survival.

RESULTSNine patients died of recurrence or metastasis, and the interval between the initial surgery and recurrence ranged from 22 to 46 months. The survival time of the 36 patients ranged from 34 to 135 months with a 10-year survival rate of 75.0%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that male patients had a significantly shorter mean survival time than female patients (Χ=3.164, P=0.041); the median survival time of patients aged 45-59 years was obviously shorter than that of patients aged 25-44 years (Χ=4.622, P=0.032); the postoperative survival in patients with 131I therapy was significantly longer than those who did not receive the therapy (Χ=4.527, P=0.033), and was not affected by total excision of the thyroid gland (Χ=0.988, P=0.320). No significant difference was found in the median survival of patients in different clinical stages (Χ=2.2132, P=0.167).

CONCLUSIONIn young and middle-aged patients with DTC, postoperative recurrence is the most likely in 2 to 4 years after the surgery. Male patients at 45-59 years of age who do not receive 131I treatment are at high risks of tumor recurrence.