Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2003 Dec;13(4):271-276.

A Case of Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma Presenting as a Miliary Pulmonary Infiltration in 8 Year Old Girl

• Choi EJ
• Kim JR
• Lee CW
• Choi DY
• Oh YG
• Kim JD
• Lee KM
• Park ST
• Yoon HS

Abstract

Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is the most common thyroid cancer in children. It usually occurs in the teenage female and presents as a mass within the thyroid itself. In the great majority of cases the only presenting sign is a neck mass. In a high percentage (60-80%) there are also palpable lymph nodes. A 8 years old female patient was admitted because of palpable neck mass and miliary shadow in chest X-ray. On examination, a soft nontenter nodular mass 1x1 cm in size was palpated at supraclavicular area of left mid-neck. In chest X-ray and CT, well demarcated nodular milialy infiltration was fully distributed in both lung. After the initial treatment failure for the miliary tuberculosis, the fine needle aspiration biopsy was performed. The Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid was diagnosed. Total thyroidectomy and entire lymph node excision were performed, followed by radioiodine ablation and hormonal therapy. The patient has been improved clinically. We are reporting a case of thyroid papillary carcinoma presenting as a pulmonary miliary infiltration with brief review of the literature.

Keyword

Cancer; Thyroid; Metastasis; Lung; Children

MeSH Terms

Biopsy
Biopsy, Fine-Needle
Carcinoma, Papillary*
Child*
Female*
Humans
Lung
Lymph Node Excision
Lymph Nodes
Neck
Neoplasm Metastasis
Thorax
Thyroid Gland*
Thyroid Neoplasms
Thyroidectomy
Treatment Failure
Tuberculosis, Miliary