Recurrence and postoperative quality of life after surgical resection of unilateral cT1–T3N1bM0 papillary thyroid carcinoma

In patients with PTC diagnosed as unilateral cT1-T3N1bM0 and a contralateral glandular nodule ≤2 cm, the preservation of the contralateral gland does not appear to have a significant impact on the rate of tumour recurrence in patients with tumour size (<1 cm), no extrathyroidal invasion, and pathological T stage (< T3). Instead, preserving gland potentially improves the prognosis, quality of life, and complication rates in these patients.