Clinical analysis of metastatic carcinoma in thyroid

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of secondary thyroid neoplasms. Methods To retrospectively analyse clinical manifestations,examinations and treatment of 83 cases of secondary thyroid cancer, which were retrieved from CNKI (1994-2008). Results In all cases, 39 were male, 39 were female and 5 were unknow, aged from 16 to 78 years old, median age was 52. The primary cancers included 31 esophageal carcinomas, 12 lung cancers, 8 laryngopharynx cancers, 7 clear cell renal carcinomas, 6 rectal carcinomas, 6 melanomas, 3 breast cancers, 3 rhabdomyosarcoma, 2 gatric cancers, 1 liver cancer, 1 cervical cancer, 1 nonchromaffin paraganglioma,1 ovary cancer, 1 lip squamous cell carcinomac. 64 patients had undergone chemotherapy or surgery or radiotherapy. The intervals between finding of primary carcinoma and secondary thyroid carcinoma ranged from 1 month to 26 years with a median time of 2.5 years. Patients died of widespread metastases from 1 month to 12 years following the diagnosis of secondary carcinoma in thyroid, with a median time of 32 months. Conclusions Metastasis in the thyroid gland is uncommon and may cause a diagnostic problem. Metastatic cancer to the thyroid should be considered when a patient with histoy of malignant tumor has a recent found thyroid lesions. With the combination of Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the survival of patients can be significantly prolonged.