title: Hyperfunctioning solid/trabecular follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland.
abstract: A 68-year-old woman with solid/trabecular follicular thyroid carcinoma inside of an autonomously functioning thyroid nodule is described in this paper. The patient was referred to our clinic for swelling of the neck and an increased pulse rate. Ultrasonography showed a slightly hypoechoic nodule in the right lobe of the thyroid. Despite suppressed TSH levels, the (99m)Tc-pertechnetate scan showed a hot area corresponding to the nodule with a suppressed uptake in the remaining thyroid tissue. Histopathological examination of the nodule revealed a solid/trabecular follicular thyroid carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of hyperfunctioning follicular solid/trabecular carcinoma reported in the literature. Even if a hyperfunctioning thyroid carcinoma is an extremely rare malignancy, careful management is recommended so that a malignancy will not be overlooked in the hot thyroid nodules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET-CT Centre, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giovanella
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fasolini
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suriano
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mazzucchelli