Comparison of thyroid-specific quality of life after thermal ablation vs. thyroid lobectomy for benign thyroid nodules

PURPOSE: To compare the thyroid-specific quality of life (QoL) in patients with benign thyroid nodules (BTNs) who underwent thermal ablation (TA) versus thyroid lobectomy (TL). METHODS: Patients with BTNs who underwent ultrasound-guided TA or TL were enrolled in the present study. The Thyroid Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (THYCA-QoL) which focus on thyroid-specific symptoms that are also relevant to patients with BTNs was used to evaluate patients' thyroid-specific QoL. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to control for confounding variables. Group differences in the THYCA-QoL scores were analyzed using t- tests. RESULTS: After PSM, 82 patients were included in each group. The median follow-up time for questionnaire administration was 3 (3, 3) months in the TA group and 6 (4, 8) months in the TL group. Compared with TL, the TA group reported significantly lower scores in voice, concentration, scar, tingling hands/feet, and weight gain (all p < 0.05), suggesting better thyroid-specific QoL. However, the TA group had higher scores on the "less interest in sex" scale, indicating more sexual interest-related concerns. CONCLUSION: TA was associated with better thyroid-specific QoL than TL in several domains, though sexual interest-related concerns were slightly higher. These results suggest it may be a feasible alternative for patients with BTNs, with further studies needed to confirm long-term outcomes.