Korean J Head Neck Oncol.  2021 May;37(1):47-51. 10.21593/kjhno/2021.37.1.47.

A Case of Intrathyroidal Spread of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

• Lee JK
• Cho YM
• Lee JH
• Woo JS
• Cho JG

• KMID: 2516455
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21593/kjhno/2021.37.1.47

Abstract

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) typically has a good prognosis, but it frequently metastasizes to the regional lymph nodes. Although survival impact of lymph node metastasis is not clear, complementary treatment is generally added after surgery when lymphatic metastasis exists. Several previous studies have reported that the multifocal PTC is associated with poor prognosis and requires selective neck dissection to prevent regional lymph node metastasis, but they are under controversy. In this study, we present a 24-year-old female patient, diagnosed as PTC with intrathyroidal spread and regional lymph node metastases. Intrathyroidal spread of PTC can only be observed microscopically and is believed to have the similar origin of unicentric multifocal PTC. As multifocal PTC is highly associated with regional lymph node metastasis and requires an additional treatment, PTC with intrathyroidal spread may follow a similar clinical course and treatment plan. Here we report the case with a brief literature review and expect its attribution to further academic interest of treatment choice.

Keyword

Intrathyroidal spread; Lymphatic metastasis; Papillary thyroid carcinoma; Prognosis