Percutaneous Laser Ablation of Metastatic Lymph Nodes in the Neck from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Preliminary Results

Context: Percutaneous laser ablation (PLA) may be useful in treating patients with metachronous metastatic lymph nodes in the neck.

Objective: Our objective was to assess PLA as a treatment of difficult-to-treat metachronous cervical lymph node metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Design And Setting: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data at a public hospital.

Patients: Fifteen patients with previous resection of papillary thyroid carcinoma with elevated serum levels of thyroglobulin (Tg) or anti-Tg antibodies (TgAbs) and 24 metachronous nodal metastases treated between September 2010 and April 2012 were followed with [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Intervention: Intervention was PLA.

Outcome Measures: Technique feasibility and technical success were evaluated. Tg/TgAb serum levels and ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT, and CEUS appearance were assessed at 6 and 12 months and compared with baseline. Complications were recorded.

Results: PLA was always feasible, and technical success was achieved in all patients. At 6 months, local control was achieved in 11 of 15 patients (73%), with 6 (40%) having serum Tg/TgAb normalized (P = .017 vs baseline). Whereas 20 of 24 (83%) nodes were negative at ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT and CEUS (P < .001 vs baseline), 4 were ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT-positive (3 also CEUS-positive). At the 12-month follow-up, local control was achieved in 10 of 14 patients (71.4%). Sixteen of 20 nodes (80%) were negative at ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT and CEUS (P < .001 vs baseline), 4 were ¹⁸FDG-PET/CT-positive (2 also CEUS-positive). Four of 10 (40%) patients had normalization of serum Tg/TgAb (P = .098 vs baseline). No major complications occurred.

Conclusions: PLA is potentially feasible, safe, and effective for the treatment of metachronous cervical nodal metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma. This procedure may reduce or delay a large number of highly invasive repeat neck dissections.