Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ota, T.
Right arrow Articles by Fujisawa, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ota, T.
Right arrow Articles by Fujisawa, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 31:112-115 (2001)
© 2001 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research

Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid with Distant Metastases to the Cerebrum: a Case Report

Tsuguhito Ota1, Yukihiro Bando1, Masamichi Hirai1, Nobuyoshi Tanaka1, Yasushi Takabatake2, Yoshio Kasahara3 and Masakiyo Fujisawa3,+

1Department of Internal Medicine, 2Department of Neurosurgery and 3Department of Surgery, Fukui-ken Saiseikai Hospital, Fukui, Japan

Cerebral metastases from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid are a very uncommon condition, but such metastases behave more aggressively and show poor prognosis. These metastases almost always involve concomitant lung or bone metastases which may be the first metastatic sites. Here we report a 53-year-old man with diffuse goiter and cervical lymphadenopathy who developed symptoms of elevated intracranial pressure. Computed tomography demonstrated ring-enhanced lesions showing a severe mass effect in the right cerebrum and a nodule in the right thyroid gland accompanied by swollen lymph nodes. Biopsied specimens of the thyroid nodule demonstrated malignant cells of papillary carcinoma. Surgical excision of the metastatic brain lesions was followed by total thyroidectomy with regional lymphadenectomy. Histological examinations confirmed that the patient had cerebral metastases from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid without other distant metastasis. Neurological abnormality disappeared after surgery and treatment with radioactive iodine (131I) and oral thyroxine were initiated thereafter. This case suggests that the thyroid gland is potentially a primary source of metastatic brain carcinoma. Moreover, early detection of cerebral metastases is crucial because these metastatic lesions can be life threatening, in contrast to the relatively less severe clinical course of this malignancy unless it is associated with any distant metastasis.

+ For reprints and all correspondence: Tsuguhito Ota, Department of Internal Medicine, Fukui-ken Saiseikai Hospital, Funabashi 7–1, Wadanaka-machi, Fukui 918-8503, Japan. E-mail: tsukko@kc4.so-net.ne.jp


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.