Metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology: a report of 3 cases.
BACKGROUND
Follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) usually have a benign clinical course, with an excellent long-term prognosis and a propensity for vascular invasion. The most common sites of metastases are lung and bone. Only a few reports are available on fine needle aspiration biopsy findings from metastatic lesions of FTC.


METHODS
A 68-year-old man presented with a thyroid mass and skin nodule on the scalp. Skin nodule aspiration revealed metastatic FTC. A 52-year-old woman and 60-year-old man were investigated for chronic anemia. As part of the routine investigation, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy were performed from the posterior iliac crest and diagnosed as metastatic FTC. Further questioning revealed that the patients had undergone thyroidectomy 10 and 13 years earlier. The aspiration material in all 3 cases revealed epithelial cell clusters with marginal (fire-flare) vacuoles.


CONCLUSIONS
Cytologic diagnosis of metastatic FTC has been reported rarely. Marginal (fire-flare) vacuoles aid in making the diagnosis of metastatic FTC.
Kumar
Perikala V
PV
Department of Pathology, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. kumarv@sums.ac.ir
Monabati
Ahmad
A
Tabei
Seyed Z
SZ
Ramzy
Mani
M
Husseini
Syed Vahid
SV
Khajeh
Fatemeh
F
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000556:secondary*; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*