Three Distinctly Different Kinds of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma should be Recognized: Our Treatment Strategies and Outcomes

Abstract

Nonsurgical observation seems to represent an attractive alternative to surgery for asymptomatic PMC. Almost 95% of asymptomatic PMC patients are type I, and another 5% are type II and can be treated with conservative surgery. A small number of PMCs with bulky lymph node metastasis or extrathyroidal invasion are high-risk type III and require aggressive treatment.