title: Extramedullary relapse of multiple myeloma in the thyroid cartilage.
abstract: Multiple myeloma involving the thyroid cartilage is a very uncommon disease entity. Only 10 cases have been reported in the international literature to date and as such it constitutes a rare and challenging diagnosis to make. We report the case of a 63-year-old man with a background of malignant melanoma and multiple myeloma both of which were in remission at the time of presentation. The patient presented with hoarseness and a large neck mass that turned out to be an extramedullary deposit of his previously treated multiple myeloma indicating disease relapse. The differential diagnosis of a mass in the thyroid cartilage is discussed. Despite its rarity, this diagnosis should be considered even in patients with no history of multiple myeloma, as it can arise de-novo in the thyroid cartilage (extramedullary plasmacytoma). The importance of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach as well as recent advances in treatment are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK. hannah.mitchell3@nhs.net
authors.forename: Hannah Katherine
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garas
authors.forename: Nektarios
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mazarakis
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McGlashan
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D013957:Thyroid Cartilage / Q000473:pathology*