Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the thyroid gland occurring after treated Hodgkin's lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
To present a case report of the occurrence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the thyroid gland of a patient who had previously undergone successful treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma.


METHODS
We describe pertinent historical features and current symptoms and laboratory findings in a 62-year-old man who had had successful treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma 10 years previously and had been free of disease for a decade. We also review the related medical literature on the course of patients after therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma.


RESULTS
Because of a progressively enlarging anterior neck mass, hoarseness, and difficulty with breathing, a patient sought medical attention. Ten years previously, he had undergone irradiation and splenectomy for treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the current assessment, fine-needle aspiration and open biopsy yielded the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for which the patient received irradiation and chemotherapy. Review of the literature pertaining to diseases after treated Hodgkin's lymphoma, including second cancers, failed to identify any such prior reported case.


CONCLUSIONS
Because the clinical profile of our patient was consistent with primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the thyroid gland developing after radiation-treated Hodgkin's lymphoma, we conclude that this represents the first such reported example.
Berbano
R R
RR
Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, St. Vincent's Hospital, and Medical Center, New York, New York 10011, USA.
Young
I
I
Petrov
E
E
Cook
W
W
Moussouris
H F
HF