Using contrast-enhanced ultrasound to predict lymph node spread in small papillary thyroid cancer

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

Central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) changes surgical decisions for patients with T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma, but conventional preoperative imaging often misses CLNM. This multicenter retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 600 patients treated between June 2018 and June 2025 whose diagnoses were confirmed by postoperative pathology. Preoperative dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images of the thyroid and suspicious central nodes were collected and two senior ultrasound physicians blinded to pathology independently extracted qualitative and quantitative imaging features. Those imaging features will be compared to the surgical pathology gold standard to build and validate preoperative prediction models for CLNM.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria

1. Patients with preoperative assessment of T1N0M0 papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent initial surgical treatment at the medical centers participating in this study between June 2018 and June 2025.
2. Definitive diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma confirmed by postoperative histopathological examination.
3. Preoperative conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examination of the thyroid and/or suspicious central lymph nodes were performed, with complete imaging data of acceptable quality for analysis.
4. Surgical procedures included thyroidectomy (lobectomy or total thyroidectomy) combined with central lymph node dissection (prophylactic or therapeutic) to provide a definitive pathological gold standard for lymph nodes.
5. Complete clinical pathological data and imaging data were retrievable from the Hospital Information System (HIS).

Exclusion Criteria

1. Preoperative receipt of any anti-tumor treatment targeting the thyroid (e.g., radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or ablation therapy).
2. Complication with other types of thyroid malignant tumors (e.g., medullary carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, etc.).
3. History of neck surgery or radiotherapy that may affect the structure of cervical lymph nodes.
4. Complication with other systemic diseases that may affect CEUS perfusion characteristics or imaging evaluation (e.g., severe heart failure, liver cirrhosis, etc.).
5. Allergy to components of the ultrasound contrast agent.
6. Missing key clinical or imaging data, making complete analysis impossible.

Where it's running

• Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital
  Guangdong, Guangzhou, China Recruiting
• No. 33 Yingfeng Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital
  Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Jingliang Ruan, Doctoral Degree — Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University
• Study coordinator: Jingliang Ruan, Doctoral Degree
• Email: ruanjl3@mail.sysu.edu.cn
• Phone: +86-13694202230

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.