Patients' View on the Management of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: Active Surveillance or Surgery

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Background: Clinical practice guidelines have endorsed both active surveillance and surgery as viable management options for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). However, patients' perceptions on the options have rarely been addressed. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 50 patients with PTMC who were under either active surveillance ( n = 20) or postoperative follow-up ( n = 30). The primary outcome was anxiety, which was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). A questionnaire that comprised six items about PTMC-related symptoms and concerns, which were measured with a visual analog scale, was also administered. Cohen's d effect size was calculated to express group differences. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between state anxiety and other variables. Results: The median age and observation period were 61.5 years (range, 40–83 years) and 4.1 years (range, 0–8.6 years), respectively. The female/male ratio was 38/12. Compared with the surgery group, the active surveillance group showed higher scores in both state anxiety and trait anxiety, with corresponding effect sizes of 0.55 (confidence interval [CI] −0.03 to 1.1; p = 0.068) and 0.63 (CI 0.02–1.2; p = 0.037), respectively. Trait anxiety (β = 0.83) and observation time (β = −1.57) were the significant predictors of state anxiety. Moderate effect sizes were observed for “discomfort in the neck” (−0.53; CI −1.11 to 0.04); “weak voice” (−0.46; CI −1.03 to 0.12); and “nervous about neck appearance” (−0.64; CI −1.23 to −0.07), in favor of active surveillance. Conclusions: State anxiety among patients with PTMC seemed to be a reflection of an individual's trait rather than management. Understanding the patients' view appears to be key to improve shared decision-making.