title: Metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma to the breast in a patient with combined medullary and papillary carcinoma of thyroid--a case report.
abstract: We report the fine-needle aspiration cytology of a case of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) metastatic to the breast in a 66-year old female within two years of diagnosis of the thyroid tumor. The aspirate of the breast metastases revealed a plasmacytoid population of cells in loose clusters and singly with mild to moderate pleomorphism. Nuclear groves and occasional intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions were seen. The cells stained positive for calcitonin and negative for thyroglobulin. Use of immunocytochemical methods proved useful to diagnose metastasis which was essential in planning treatment. Cases of metastatic MTC to the breast diagnosed on fine-needle aspirates reported in the literature are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Preetha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alath
authors.forename: Inamdar Naquib Shafi
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Aisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Jassar
authors.forename: Sundus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: Thasneem
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amir
authors.forename: Salah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Waheeb
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al-Abdulghani
authors.forename: Sara Shirly
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Kusum
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kapila
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000032:analysis; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000032:analysis; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D013954:Thyroglobulin
keywords: breast; fine-needle aspiration cytology; metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma