Objective: To evaluate the rate of recurrence, metastases after initial treatment of thyroid cancer and prognostic factors. Patients and Methods: Clinical records of 218 thyroid cancer patients, treated by surgery at K hospital from 1/1995 to 12/1999. Were investigated in this prospective study. Result: The incidence of recu"ent tumors 12 percent, recun-ent nodes 15 percent. In the group papillary and follicular variant of papillary carcinoma: 8.6 percent of recu"ent tumor, 16.1 percent recurrent lymph node: the correlative rate in the group of follicular: 15.6 percent and 9.4 percent
anaplastic and medullary carcinoma group has high recurrence rate compare with other group. The recurrent tumor rate of stage II 18.8 percent. Stage III 16.7 percent and stage I is lower. The recu"ent lymph node rate of stage III 33.3 percent, stage II 31.3 percent. The recurrent almost seen in 24 month, for the tumor 65 percent (in which the recurrent in the first year is 45 percent) and for the node 61.3 percent. The incidence metastatic rate of the anaplastic group (50 percent) was higher than follicular group (15.6 percent). Lung metastases seen as the most common site the rate was 78.6 percent, bone metastase 14 percent and hepatic metastase was less unexpected. 50 percent metastases appeared in 2 years after treadment. Conclusions: The anaplastic group has a higher recurrence rate compare with the papillary and follicular group. Distant metastasis was common in the anaplastic group with the incidence was 50 percent.