By Sharin Hussain via SWNS
Patients could avoid thyroid surgery thanks to a new “minimally invasive” procedure.
It will spare people having to undergo a two to four hour thyroid op, say scientists.
Researchers at China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, developed the new procedure.
Dr. Ming-An Yu, director of interventional medicine, said: “This study marks the first multi-center comparative analysis between microwave ablation and surgical resection for multifocal papillary thyroid cancer.
“These findings challenge traditional treatment paradigms and open new avenues for less invasive management strategies.”
The team study how microwave ablation, a treatment that uses heat from microwave energy to destroy cancer cells, might be used to treat a form of thyroid cancer known as papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC),
Thyroid surgery can impact the patient’s quality of life due to factors like scarring, lifelong hormone replacement and potential complications, such as permanent hoarseness.
Microwave ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to destroy tumors.
This method is currently under preliminary investigation and could be a viable alternative to surgery for some patients.
PTC often presents with multifocality, two or more bumps, found within the thyroid gland and is frequent ranging between 23.5 percent and 60 percent.
The study, published in the journal Radiology, looked at 775 patients with Stage I PTC, who were being treated with microwave ablation or surgery between May 2015 and December 2021.
These cases came from 10 centers, with 229 patients in the microwave ablation group and 453 patients in the surgical resection group.
They were followed from a year and upwards of four years with an average of 20 months.
Microwave ablation was associated with similar progression-free survival rates to surgery but with fewer complications and a greater potential for preserving thyroid function.
Microwave ablation resulted in less blood loss, shorter incision length, and shorter procedure and hospitalization durations.
Permanent hoarseness and hypoparathyroidism were encountered only in the surgical resection group.
Dr. Yu said: “Our study has shown that microwave ablation offers a promising treatment option for multifocal papillary thyroid cancer.
“Additionally, microwave ablation is associated with fewer complications and can preserve thyroid function, thereby enhancing patients’ quality of life.
“This represents a significant advancement in the field of interventional thyroid cancer treatment.”
