A Case of Recurrent Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Adrenal Metastasis

Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology 2007;23(1):50-53.
Published online May 30, 2007.

Chang-Woo Kim;Ji-Sup Yun;Yong Sang Lee;Kee-Hyun Nam;Woong Youn Chung;Soon Won Hong;Cheong Soo Park

재발 유두 갑상선암의 부신전이 1예

김창우;윤지섭;이용상;남기현;정웅윤;홍순원;박정수

Abstract

Adrenal metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma is extremely rare. We present herein a patient with adrenal metastases from recurrent papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. A 54 year-old woman had received a total thyroidectomy and postoperative radioactive iodine therapy for locally advanced papillary thyroid car-cinoma. One year after initial surgery, distant metastases to multiple organs including right cervical lymph nodes, left upper lung, left 2nd and 3rd ribs, 2nd thoracic vertebra and left adrenal gland were found by 18-FDG-PET-CT whole body scan. She underwent right modified neck dissection, partial resection of left 2nd and 3rd ribs, posterior arch of 2nd thoracic vertebra, left upper lobectomy of lung, and left adrenalectomy. On histologic examination, metastases to the left adrenal gland and cervical lymph nodes were papillary thyroid carcinomas, while other metastatic sites turned out to be anaplastic thyroid carcinomas. Despite aggressive surgery and posto-perative adjuvant therapy, her general clinical conditions were getting worse day by day due to regrowing of the anaplastic thyroid carcinomas. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in Korea.

Key Words: Papillary thyroid carcinoma, Adrenal metastasis, Distant metastasis