Evaluating the influence of prophylactic central neck dissection on TNM staging and the recurrence risk stratification of cN0 differentiated thyroid carcinoma

For younger patients (age < 45 years), careful preoperative assessment of the lymph node status must be done; surgeons should consider this risk factor when deciding whether to perform pCND. Thorough lymphadenectomy in the implementation of pCND can avoid residual lymph node metastasis and help to increase the incidence of CLNM. pCND can indentify occult CLNM which allows more precise TNM staging (for patients with age ≥ 45 years) and RRS.