Abstract
We retrospectively reviewed the data of elderly patients aged 80 years old and over with thyroid carcinomas, who underwent thyroid surgery in our hospital between 2000 and 2010. Of the 24 patients, 18 (75%) had invasions to respiratory related organs including the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Of the 18 patients with invasions, 13 had invasions to the recurrent laryngeal nerve; immediate anastomosis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was performed for 5 patients, and immediate type I thyroplasty for 2 patients. Partial removal of the trachea due to the invasion of thyroid carcinoma was performed for 5 patients, and closure of the stomas was successful in all 5 patients. Hemithyroidectomy with D1 neck dissection was performed for 6 patients without invasion to respiratory related organs except for follicular carcinoma. Though 3 patients died due to distant metastasis, recurrence in respiratory related organs was not observed. These data indicate that surgical treatment for thyroid carcinomas in elderly patients should be performed, because invasion to respiratory related organs is inevitable eventually.
