Patterns of Lateral Lymph Node Involvement by Neck Level in cNIb Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Background/Objectives: The optimal extent of lateral lymph node dissection in cN1b differentiated thyroid cancer remains controversial. This systematic review aimed to assess the frequency of lymph node involvement across neck levels I to V. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed was searched for studies on lateral neck dissection in differentiated thyroid cancer. Included studies reported level-specified metastatic rates. Data on patient numbers and metastatic events were extracted. A random-effects meta-analysis with Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation was performed for each neck level to calculate pooled prevalence proportions and 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² stati

SUBMITTER: Hartl DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12563162 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature