Risk Factors and Prognosis of Retropharyngeal Lymph Node Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

RPLN metastasis in PTC, though rare, should be considered during follow-up, particularly for patients with tumor dedifferentiation, glandular dissemination, and distant metastasis. Routine ultrasonography may miss these metastases; hence, periodic CT scans, MRI, or 131I-SPECT/CT are recommended. Despite the advanced disease stage at diagnosis, active treatment, including surgical resection via the transcervical approach, can result in a favorable prognosis. Metastasis to lymph nodes below the hyoid plane indicates a poorer prognosis.