title: [A rapidly growing lump in the neck: anaplastic thyroid carcinoma].
abstract: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rapidly lethal disease. We present 3 patients with ATC. Patient A was a 68-year-old man, who died before radiotherapy could be started, 4 months after presentation. Patient B was a 74-year-old man who was treated by surgery and radiotherapy. He developed cervical metastasis, which was treated with palliative radiotherapy after which he was lost from follow-up. Patient C was a 55-year-old woman, treated with radiotherapy. She died by euthenasia 7 months after presentation. In adults with a rapidly growing neck lump, malignancy is a frequent cause and should be separated from infectious or reactive causes. Fine needle aspiration with neck ultrasonography are indicated in suspected malignant lumps. ATC is a rare cause of a neck lump. Due to the very fulminant course it should also be considered in an old patient presenting with a rapidly growing lump in the neck.
authors.affiliation: Universitair Medisch Centrum, Afd. Heelkunde, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Teus J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Weijs
authors.forename: Gerlof D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Valk
authors.forename: Inne H M
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Borel Rinkes
authors.forename: Menno R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Vriens
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D065646:Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*