Thyroid cancer incidentally found in radical surgery for laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To report on four patients with thyroid cancer found in their specimen of laryngectomy for laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancer.


METHODS
Retrospective case series.


METHODS
Patients with laryngeal cancer and hypopharyngeal cancers treated at our institution between 1991 and 2005 were enrolled.


METHODS
There were 463 patients with laryngeal cancer and 219 patients with hypopharyngeal cancers under retrospective review.


RESULTS
There were 254 patients with laryngeal caner and 130 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer receiving surgery. Thyroid cancer was observed in the resected thyroid gland in two cases of laryngeal cancer and in two cases of hypopharyngeal cancer. They received treatment only for their laryngeal/hypopharyngeal cancers. Two patients died of distant metastases from larynx/hypopharynx cancer within one year. The other two patients are currently alive without disease from either of the two types of cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
It is rare to discover an unexpected simultaneous thyroid cancer confirmed postoperatively from thyroid tissue partially removed in laryngectomy. A conservative approach is suggested for such patients.
Shih
Chien
C
Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wang
Cheng-Ping
CP
Lou
Pei-Jen
PJ
Hu
Ya-Ling
YL
Yang
Tsung-Lin
TL
Ko
Jenq-Yuh
JY
Lee
Shiann-Yann
SY
D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010611:Pharyngectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy