title: Treatment and outcome of 32 patients with distant metastases of Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma: a single-institution experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is generally believed that patients with Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma (HCTC) have a poor prognosis. Furthermore, distant metastases represent the most frequent cause of thyroid cancer-related death of patients with HCTC. The aim of this study was to report the treatment and outcomes of patients with distant metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Altogether 108 patients were treated for HCTC from 1972 to 2011 in our tertiary center and 32 patients (19 females, 13 males; median age 64.5 years) had either initially proven metastatic disease (N = 12) or distant progression of HCTC after initial treatment (N = 20). Patients with metastases were followed for 1-226 (median 77) months. Data were collected on the patients' gender and age, extent of their disease, morphologic characteristics, therapy, outcome, and survival rate. Statistical correlation between possible prognostic factors and cause-specific survival from time of detection of metastases was analyzed by univariate analysis and log-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common were lung metastases, followed by bone, mediastinum, kidney, and liver in 24, 8, 2, 1, and 1 case, respectively. Total thyroidectomy, lobectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy and neck dissection were performed in 19, 10, 3, and 7 patients, respectively. Radioiodine (RAI) ablation of thyroid remnant was performed in 30 patients, while 20 of them had RAI therapy (median 4 times). RAI uptake in metastases was present in 16 patients and ranged from 0.05 % to 12 %. Chemotherapy was used in 13 patients and external beam radiotherapy in 19 patients. Locoregional control of disease was achieved in 19/21 (90 %) cases who succumbed due to HCTC. Estimated 10-year disease-specific survival for all patients was 60 %. 10-year disease-specific survival for patients with pulmonary metastases and other sites metastases was 60 % and 62 %, respectively. 10-year disease-specific survival for patients with single organ and multiple organ metastases was 52 %, and 100 %, respectively. Estimated median disease-specific survival after the diagnosis of metastatic disease for all patients was 77 months. The median disease-specific survival after the diagnosis of metastatic disease for patients with pulmonary metastases and other sites metastases was 72 and 138 months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ten-year disease-specific survival for all patients with metastatic Hürthle cell thyroid carcinoma, patients with pulmonary metastases and bone metastases was 60 %, 60 % and 68 %, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. nbesic@onko-i.si.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Besic
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. aschwarzbartl@onko-i.si.
authors.forename: Andreja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwarzbartl-Pevec
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. bvidergar@onko-i.si.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vidergar-Kralj
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. teacrnic@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crnic
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Institute of Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. bgazic@onko-i.si.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gazic
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Institute of Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. mmusic@onko-i.si.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marolt Music
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden