Open AccessMetastatic Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma Presenting as Thoracic Cord Compression
Author(s) -
Ryan Petrucci,
Karrar Bohreh,
Navin Niles
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of medical cases
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1923-4163
pISSN - 1923-4155
DOI - 10.14740/jmc3658
Subject(s) - medicine , thyroid , thyroid cancer , follicular thyroid cancer , thyroid carcinoma , cord , goiter , spinal cord compression , thyroidectomy , radioactive iodine , surgery , radiology , spinal cord , papillary thyroid cancer , psychiatry
Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is an uncommon cancer and the incidence of FTC is higher in endemic areas of iodine deficiency or endemic goiter. Up until the 1990s Fiji was listed as an iodine deficient country. We report a rare case of a 53-year-old native Fijian man who presented to our hospital with spinal cord compression due to a metastatic deposit of an undiagnosed FTC. He underwent emergent neurosurgical treatment for his cord compression, with histology of the lesion at the level of T5 identifying metastatic FTC. Despite the emergent surgery, he did not have any neurological recovery. Total thyroidectomy confirmed the presence of a large left-sided FTC and the patient was assessed for radioactive iodine treatment. Nuclear medicine imaging revealed extensive distant bony metastatic disease. Unfortunately due to his significant distant disease burden, he was unable to undergo radioactive iodine ablation therapy. After significant allied health input he was discharged home with community palliative care input.