['Dendritic cells are common in inflammatory processes and in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Previous studies of the predictive value of S100-positive dendritic cell density for PTC outcome yielded inconsistent results. This study investigated the association of dendritic cell density and PTC recurrence based on CD1a expression.', 'Representative slides from 56 consecutive specimens of PTC were immunostained with anti-CD1a antibodies, and dendritic cell density was analyzed by disease-free survival.', 'Dendritic cells were abundant in the tumoral tissue and sparse in the normal peritumoral tissue. Peritumoral dendritic cell density >1.1 cells/HPF was inversely associated with the risk of recurrence. Similar results were obtained with tumoral dendritic cell density (>12 cells/HPF), although the statistical significance was marginal.'] Does cD1a-positive dendritic cell density predict disease-free survival in papillary thyroid carcinoma?