OBJECTIVE: To determine the prognostic value of surgical interventions done among patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC)

METHODS: A five-year retrospective chart review of 25 patients was done and baseline characteristics determined. Patients discharged alive as of the time of last chart entry were followed up by phone interview or personal visit. Overall survival was the main outcome measure which was plotted as Kaplan-Meier estimates and compared via log-rank test. The incidence of complications surrounding tracheostomy and thyroidectomy were also noted.

Methods:

Design: Ambispective Cohort Study

Setting: Tertiary National University Hospital

Participants: All private and public (charity) patients seen at the wards or clinics diagnosed with ATC via fine needle cytology or tissue histopathology.

RESULTS: All patients presented with either stage IV-B or stage IV-C disease. A significant difference in survival curves was noted when comparing between the two stages (p<.05). Subgroup analysis per stage revealed no significant difference in overall survival when comparing patients who did not undergo surgery, those who underwent tracheostomy or those who underwent thyroidectomy for both IV-B (p=.244) or IV-C (p=.165) disease. The incidence of complications for tracheostomy was 60%, the most common being mucus plugging. For thyroidectomy, the incidence of complications was 80% with hypocalcemia being the most common.

CONCLUSION: The current available data fails to demonstrate any significant survival advantage of tracheostomy or thyroidectomy when performed among similarly staged patients.