title: Endobronchial metastasis from an occult papillary thyroid carcinoma: a case report.
abstract: It is well known that occult papillary thyroid cancers can result in regional lymph node metastasis. However, this small, clinically undetectable cancer rarely causes distant metastasis; moreover, an endobronchial presentation has not been described previously. We report on a 48-year-old man who experienced hemoptysis. A fiberoptic bronchoscopic biopsy established the diagnosis of endobronchial metastasis in the absence of clinically apparent thyroid cancer. After the patient was treated with a total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine (131I), a whole body radioiodine scan revealed no evidence of distant functioning metastasis. A histological evaluation of the thyroid gland showed the presence of a 0.2 x 0.2 x 0.2 cm nodule in the right lobe. A left pneumonectomy was undertaken to treat the distant metastasis of the disease. Since most papillary thyroid carcinomas are curable, an aggressive surgical approach to the solitary metastasis is indicated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*