A few thyroid nodules are tumors of other
organs that have spread to the thyroid gland
(November 2004)
The background of the study. Most thyroid nodules
are benign, but a few are cancers. Among the latter, most are thyroid
cancers, but a few are cancers that have spread from of other organs.
This study determined the characteristics and outcome in patients
with nonthyroid cancers that had spread to the thyroid gland.
How the study was done and the results of the study.
From 1985 to 2002, 1016 patients were operated on for malignant
tumors of the thyroid at a single hospital in the United Kingdom.
Fifteen patients (1.5 percent) had tumors that originated in other
tissues. The initial sign of thyroid disease was a neck mass in
11 patients and difficulty swallowing in 2; the thyroid disease
was detected by radiologic study in 1 patient and by surgery in
1.
The interval between the diagnosis of the primary tumor and the
thyroid tumor ranged from 0 to 15 years; in five patients the thyroid
tumor was the first manifestation of tumor. The primary tumor was
a kidney cancer in four patients; one patient each had breast cancer,
melanoma, lung cancer, colon cancer, cancer of the arm, uterine
cancer, bladder cancer, cancer of unknown primary site, leiomyosarcoma,
liposarcoma, and paraganglioma.
In nine patients, thyroid surgery revealed the nonthyroid cancer.
Four of these patients had cancer in other organs, but were operated
on because they had a large thyroid mass. Among the other patients,
five had cancer elsewhere when they presented with the thyroid mass.
Ten patients died 3 to 45 months after presenting with the thyroid
tumor, and the remaining five were alive 3 to 84 months after thyroid
surgery and chemotherapy.
The conclusions of the study. In a few patients
who have a thyroid nodule the nodule is a tumor that originated
in another organ.
The original article. Wood K, Vini L, Harmer C.
Metastases to the thyroid gland: the Royal Marsden experience. Eur
J Surg Oncol 2004;30:583-8.
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