title: Solitary cerebellar metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma: a case report.
abstract: Papillary thyroid carcinoma is a common thyroid malignancy that generally has a good prognosis. However, this type of cancer may give rise to distant metastasis and may behave more aggressively in older patients. Here we report clinical, radiological, and pathological findings of a patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma who had a solitary cerebellar metastasis. The patient was known to have metastatic thyroid cancer to the lungs, but this had been stable and the cerebellar metastasis presented an unanticipated significant problem. The rapid detection of cerebellar metastatic disease is critical because neurosurgical removal of the solitary lesion should be considered as the treatment of choice. This case also serves to remind us of the importance of considering possible metastatic brain lesions and their acute life-threatening complications in contrast to the relatively prolonged course associated with metastases of thyroid carcinoma to other organs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Washington Hospital Center, DC 20010, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pacak
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wartofsky
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mark
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Punja
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Azzam
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Burman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*