Occult Thyroid Follicular Carcinoma Diagnosed as Metastasis to the Chest Wall

Intern Med. 2017;56(15):2033-2037. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.56.8340. Epub 2017 Aug 1.

Abstract

Chest wall tumors are relatively rare, and hematogenous metastasis to the chest wall is very rare. We herein describe a rare case of occult thyroid carcinoma as metastasis to the chest wall in an 80-year-old woman. The patient received detailed examinations of the chest wall tumor, and the results suggested that she had occult thyroid carcinoma. Surgery was then performed to remove all of her thyroid. As a result, she was diagnosed with follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. We report an extremely rare case of occult thyroid carcinoma diagnosed as hematogenous metastasis to the chest wall.

Keywords: chest wall metastasis; chest wall tumor; hematogenous metastasis; occult thyroid carcinoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / diagnostic imaging
  • Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / pathology
  • Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / secondary*
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biopsy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / diagnosis*
  • Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / pathology
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Thoracic Wall / pathology
  • Thyroid Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Thyroid Neoplasms / pathology