Background: Low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (LR-PTC) can be managed by immediate surgery (IS) or active surveillance (AS). We compare the psychological impact of these treatments on patients with LR-PTC.
Methods: Psychological data were collected over 1 year, with assessments at the time of treatment decision (T1), at 6 months (T2) and 12 months (T3) follow-up. Assessments included 13 validated psychological tools.
Results: Of 27 enrolled patients, 20 chose AS and 7 chose IS. The average times to T2 and T3 were 5.7 and 11.3 months, respectively. For both groups, Impact of Events Scale scores significantly decreased (p = 0.001) at T2, and depressive/anxiety symptoms remained low.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of assessing psychological outcomes among patients treated for LR-PTC. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of AS versus IS on quality of life and changes that patients experience over longer time periods following their treatment decision.
Keywords: active surveillance; immediate surgery; low risk; papillary microcarcinoma; thyroid cancer.
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