title: A case of mixed medullary and follicular cell carcinoma of the thyroid.
abstract: A medullary thyroid carcinoma is a malignant tumor derived from the C-cells of the thyroid. Despite their distinct embryological origin, medullary thyroid carcinomas are exceptionally accompanied by a tumor derived from the follicular cells; this is defined as mixed medullary and follicular cell carcinoma. There have been controversies regarding the origin of this rare mixed thyroid carcinoma questioning whether or not a mixed carcinoma originates from a common cancer stem cell. We present a case of mixed medullary and follicular cell carcinoma in which two thyroid carcinomas were found intermingled in the thyroid as well as in the metastatic cervical lymph nodes. We examined the tumor by immunostaining with thyroglobulin, calcitonin, and thyroid transcription factor-1, and also reviewed the literature and discuss the origin of this rare mixed thyroid carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ueki
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haraguchi
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: Misa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imaizumi
authors.forename: Tomayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uga
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Usa
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawakami
mesh_terms: D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D000328:Adult; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000378:metabolism; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000378:metabolism; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000074482:Thyroid Nuclear Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C000614412:NKX2-1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000074482:Thyroid Nuclear Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D002116:Calcitonin; D013954:Thyroglobulin