Anaplastic transformation of a papillary carcinoma of the thyroid in a patient with Graves' disease with varied activity of thyrotropin receptor antibodies.
We describe a 75-year-old man who had had a lump in his neck for about 15 years. At his first visit to our hospital, poorly differentiated papillary carcinoma of the thyroid was diagnosed by means of aspiration cytology; x-rays revealed the presence of lung metastases. He was thyrotoxic with positive thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb). He was reluctant to undergo surgery. In an early stage of the treatment for Graves' disease, he became hypothyroid with decreased TSAb activity and strongly positive thyroid stimulation blocking antibody (TSBAb), and rapid growth of the thyroid carcinoma with anaplastic transformation was observed. The increase in the size of the transformed thyroid carcinoma was shown to be exponential by ultrasonography. This is a rare case in which anaplastic transformation of the thyroid papillary carcinoma became apparent during treatment of Graves' disease with varied activity of thyrotropin receptor antibodies.
Fujikawa
M
M
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Okamura
K
K
Sato
K
K
Asano
T
T
Yamasaki
K
K
Hirata
T
T
Ohta
M
M
Mizokami
T
T
Kuroda
T
T
Fujishima
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008713:Methimazole / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin / Q000276:immunology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography
D000906:Antibodies; D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin; D008713:Methimazole