Four Cases of Malignant Pleural Effusion in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

ABSTRACT

Papillary thyroid carcinoma could be a rare cause of malignant pleural effusion. The development of malignant pleural effusion in patients with papillary thyroid cancer is an extremely adverse prognostic indicator. Here, we report four cases that showed development of malignant pleural effusion during the clinical course of the papillary thyroid carcinoma and consider the prognosis. In four patients, the median survival time after the development of malignant pleural effusion was only 17 months.