A patient with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid intermingled with follicular thyroid carcinoma that remains alive more than 8 years after diagnosis.
Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid is an extremely rare tumor with a highly aggressive clinical course. We report here on a patient with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid who remains alive more than 8 years after diagnosis. A 56-year-old man presented with a hoarse voice and a rapidly progressing mass on the right side of the thyroid gland. The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy without neck lymph node dissection. Histopathologic findings revealed primary squamous cell carcinoma combined with follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. The tumors metastasized to the cervical lymph nodes, thoracic spine and lung. He underwent 5000 rads of adjuvant radiotherapy to the neck. TSH suppressive therapy with L-thyroxine was administered alone rather than radioactive iodine therapy or chemotherapy. The patient's clinical course has been remarkable over the first 7 years; he has remained stable except for a transient paraplegia due to nerve compression. The patient underwent colectomy for the diagnosis of a colon cancer. Recent evaluation has revealed a new lesion in the lung; this was diagnosed as metastatic follicular carcinoma originating from the thyroid. High dose radioactive iodine therapy was administered, and he remains alive in stable condition.
Jung
Tae Sik
TS
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Oh
Young Lyun
YL
Min
Young-Ki
YK
Lee
Myung-Shik
MS
Lee
Moon-Kyu
MK
Kim
Kwang-Won
KW
Chung
Jae Hoon
JH
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D013534:Survival; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy