Abstract: Differentiated thyroid carcinoma is the most common cervical malignancy,also the most important main type of thyroid cancer.Thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy is the main method for the treatment of primary tumor.Early metastasis to the central cervical lymph node usually occurs in differentiated thyroid carcinoma.Central cervical lymph node is generally considered the first station,called the “sentinel lymph node”,so the central cervical lymph node dissection is particularly important in differentiated thyroid carcinoma .Patients with cN1 require the central cervical lymphadenectomy,but for patients with cN0,the need of prophylactic central neck lymphadenectomy remains controversial.This article aims to discuss the consensus and the controversy on Prophylactic Central Lymph Node Dissection applied in differentiated thyroid cancer.

Key words: Differentiated thyroid carcinoma, Prophylactic central lymph node dissection, Central cervical lymph node