title: Thyroid cancer with tracheal invasion: a pathological estimation.
abstract: We review the clinical and pathologic features of seven cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid that invaded the trachea and were treated by thyroidectomy, airway resection with reconstructive surgery over an interval of 15 years. We depicted the peculiarity of invasion of well differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells is perpendicularly oriented to the tracheal lumen, in between cartilaginous rings, along blood vessels and collagen fibers. Tracheal rings appear non-infiltrated in all histological sections of well differentiated PTC infiltrating the trachea. Similar description of inter-cartilage PTC infiltration into the trachea was first provided by Shinet al.in 1993. Interestingly, our pathological revision support the estimation by Shinet al., though that cartilage rings infiltration did occur in poorly differentiated thyroid cancers with exiguous prognosis.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of General Surgery, Research Center for Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences and Human Morphology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pappalardo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, Center for Thoracic Surgery, Endocrine Unit, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imperatori
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, Center for Thoracic Surgery, Endocrine Unit, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rotolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Endocrine Unit, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tanda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sessa
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Morphological Sciences, Center for Thoracic Surgery, Endocrine Unit, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dominioni
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of General Surgery, Research Center for Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences and Human Morphology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianlorenzo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dionigi
keywords: Surgery; electromyography; thyroid cancer; tracheal stenosis