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Metastatic breast carcinoma involving the thyroid gland diagnosed by fine‐needle aspiration: A case report
Author(s) -
Owens Christopher L.,
Basaria Shezad,
Nicol Theresa L.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
diagnostic cytopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1097-0339
pISSN - 8755-1039
DOI - 10.1002/dc.20311
Subject(s) - medicine , thyroid , fine needle aspiration , malignancy , pathology , metastatic carcinoma , carcinoma , biopsy , breast carcinoma , nodule (geology) , metastasis , thyroid carcinoma , metastatic breast cancer , radiology , breast cancer , cancer , paleontology , biology
Abstract Secondary involvement of the thyroid gland from a remote primary malignancy is uncommon. The distinction of metastatic carcinoma (MC) or sarcoma from a primary thyroid malignancy is important because the treatment is different. We discuss a case of a 64‐yr‐old female with a history of breast carcinoma, who presented with pain and swelling in her neck 5 yrs after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She had undergone mastectomy with subsequent chemotherapy and radiation for infiltrating mammary carcinoma. During the 5‐yr interval, she had been free of clinically evident metastatic disease. Subsequent work‐up revealed two distinct nodules in the left lobe of her thyroid gland as well as a subcutaneous mass in her right shoulder. A fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) of the larger thyroid nodule showed malignant epithelial cells with features consistent with breast carcinoma in a background of benign thyroid epithelial cells and colloid. The case was signed out as metastatic breast carcinoma. Subsequent FNA and biopsy of her right shoulder lesion also revealed metastatic breast carcinoma with similar morphology to the material in the thyroid FNA. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2005;33;110–115. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.