Solitary Pulmonary Metastasis of a Thyroid Papillary Microcarcinoma, Masquerading as Primary Lung Cancer.

Jong Hwan Lee; Se Jin Ahn; Hyung Jin Kim; Sang Eon Jang; Jae Soo Koh; Yun Yong Lee; Cheol Hyeon Kim; Jae Cheol Lee

doi:10.3803/EnM.2011.26.1.78

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Case Report Solitary Pulmonary Metastasis of a Thyroid Papillary Microcarcinoma, Masquerading as Primary Lung Cancer.: Jong Hwan Lee, Se Jin Ahn, Hyung Jin Kim, Sang Eon Jang, Jae Soo Koh, Yun Yong Lee, Cheol Hyeon Kim, Jae Cheol Lee; Endocrinology and Metabolism 2011;26(1):78-83
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2011.26.1.78
Published online: March 1, 2011

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¹Department of Internal Medicine, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea. jclee@amc.seoul.kr
²Department of Pathology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

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Abstract

Although pulmonary metastasis of thyroid cancer is not uncommon, it mostly occurs as multiple discrete nodules on the lung parenchyma. Because thyroid cancer presenting with an isolated large lung mass is extremely rare and the diagnosis is frequently based on small pieces of tissue obtained by a fine needle, the wrong diagnosis such as lung cancer is prone to be made. A 60-year-old man was admitted for evaluation of a lung mass detected on chest radiography. Cytological examination of the bronchial washing specimens suggested adenocarcinoma. Surgery for early lung cancer was performed considering that no other abnormalities were found during the work-up that included 18-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computer tomography (18FDG-PET/CT). Unexpectedly, the diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer with lung metastasis was made, which prompted us to evaluate the thyroid gland and then remove the primary cancer by subsequent operation. Although it is uncommon, physician should be aware of this possibility, which could help to avoid the wrong diagnosis. Here we report on a typical case of solitary pulmonary metastasis of thyroid cancer and we summarize the previously reported cases with a review of the relevant literature.

Keywords: Lung Neoplasm;Neoplasm Metastasis;Thyroid Cancer

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Lung nodule detected by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography in patients with papillary thyroid cancer, negative 131I whole body scan, and undetectable serum-stimulated thyroglobulin levels: two case reports
Chan-Hee Jung, Hyeon-Jeong Goong, Bo-Yeon Kim, Jung-Mi Park, Jeong-Ja Kwak, Chul-Hee Kim, Hyun-Sook Hong, Sung-Koo Kang, Ji-Oh Mok
Journal of Medical Case Reports.2012;[Epub] CrossRef

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