title: Encapsulated columnar-cell neoplasms of the thyroid. A report of four cases suggesting a favorable prognosis.
abstract: Four encapsulated thyroid neoplasms with columnar-cell features were studied. The patients were a 29-year-old man and three women aged 42, 60, and 83 years. The tumors measured from 1.2 to 8.0 cm in maximum dimension. All were completely surrounded by a thick capsule; three demonstrated invasion into the capsule (but no farther), whereas one (from the 60-year-old woman) did not. In addition to columnar-cell areas, all the neoplasms had areas with follicular and solid growth, in varying proportions. Although the growth pattern in the columnar-cell zones was usually papillary, nuclear characteristics of papillary carcinoma were not present in these areas or elsewhere. Follow-up on the four patients was 112, 51, 112, and 29 months, respectively, and none had any evidence of recurrence or metastasis. The findings suggest that encapsulated columnar-cell thyroid tumors have a much more favorable prognosis than those that are unencapsulated and invasive into adjacent thyroid or extrathyroid tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery