Cerebellar mass as a primary presentation of papillary thyroid carcinoma: case report and literature review.
BACKGROUND
Papillary carcinoma is the most common differentiated malignant thyroid neoplasm. The biological course of this cancer is typically indolent with a protracted clinical course. Metastases commonly occur in regional lymph nodes, and distant metastasis is a late and rare occurrence. We report a patient who presented with cerebellar metastasis prior to the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma and review the literature of brain metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma.


RESULTS
A 75-year old female presented at the emergency room with progressive dizziness, headache and vomiting, where a brain CT and MRI showed a posterior cerebellar tumor. Surgical resection revealed papillary carcinoma consistent with thyroid origin. Subsequent ultrasound and CT-scan revealed a thyroid nodule, after which the patient underwent total thyroidectomy. Pathologic evaluation was consistent with papillary thyroid carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
Brain metastasis may rarely be the initial presentation of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Solitary brain metastasis can completely be resected with better prognosis.
Al-Dhahri
Saleh Fahad
SF
Head & Neck department, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. saldhahri@kfmc.med.sa
Al-Amro
Abdullah Sulieman
AS
Al-Shakwer
Wafa
W
Terkawi
Abdullah Sulieman
AS
D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology*; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*