Effects of different surgical approaches on health-related quality of life in pediatric and adolescent patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

We aimed to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in pediatric and adolescent patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent bilateral or unilateral thyroidectomy.

This prospective observational study recruited children and adolescents diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma at low risk of recurrence. Participants were categorized into bilateral or unilateral thyroidectomy groups. They were asked to complete one questionnaire regarding basic information and three others regarding quality of life. HRQOL data from patients who underwent different procedures at various time points were compared.

Thirty patients underwent unilateral thyroidectomy and 54 bilateral thyroidectomy (median age = 14.27 years). HRQOL of the unilateral thyroidectomy group was higher than the bilateral group.

For children and adolescents with papillary thyroid carcinoma at low risk of recurrence, bilateral thyroidectomy is associated with a lower HRQOL than unilateral thyroidectomy. Surgeons should consider tumor impact and HRQOL when selecting the most appropriate surgical method.