A Case of Thyroid Metastasis from Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology 2002;18(2):203-206.
Published online November 30, 2002.

Min Sik Kim;Young Hwa Yoo;Kwang Jae Cho;Seung Ho Cho

갑상선으로 전이된 비인강암 1예

김민식;유영화;조광재;조승호

Abstract

Metastatic carcinomas to the thyroid gland are rare, and thyroid involvement by secondary carcinomas commonly results from direct the extension of malignant cells from adjacent organs such as the larynx or the trachea. The common primary sites of thyroid metastasis are kidney, breast, lung, and lymphoid tissue. Among head and neck cancers, nasopharyngeal carcinoma has a relatively high incidence of distant metastases to other sites and commonly involving sites are bone, lung, and liver. Recently, we experienced a case of a 43-year-old male who had been presented with neck mass for 3 months. He was diagnosed non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 1993. And, thyroid metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma was confirmed by total thyroidectomy. So we report this rare case with the review of literatures.

Key Words: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Distant metastasis, Thyroid gland