Open AccessMetastatic medullary thyroid cancer to the brain: a case report and review of the literature
Author(s) -
Rahul Sastry,
Erik A. Williams,
Robert M. Koffie,
Katie Fehnel,
Lori J. Wirth,
Brian V. Nahed
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of endocrine oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2045-0877
pISSN - 2045-0869
DOI - 10.2217/ije-2017-0024
Subject(s) - medicine , medullary thyroid cancer , medullary cavity , thyroid cancer , cancer , brain metastasis , oncology , thyroid , metastasis , pathology
Medullary thyroid cancer rarely metastasizes to the brain. Presentation and optimal treatment approaches vary widely. We present a 53-year-old male, diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer 21 years prior, who was presented with at least seven metastases in his brain. He underwent two craniotomies for two large, hemorrhagic metastases followed by whole brain radiation therapy. Tumor genotyping revealed a somatic C634R mutation in the RET proto-oncogene. Subsequently, he was started on multikinase inhibitor therapy. He ultimately passed away 10 months after his surgery. Complete resection may be a reasonable approach for patients with one or more cerebral or cerebellar metastases when feasible. Further analysis is necessary to understand the specific mutations that predispose medullary thyroid cancer to central nervous system metastasis.