Incidental Finding of Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Patient with Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Unusual Clinical Manifestations of Thyroid Carcinoma

Thyroid cancer is considered the most common endocrine malignancy, with the most frequent presentation of differentiated thyroid cancer being a neck swelling or an incidental finding of a thyroid nodule on imaging. In this case series, we describe three cases of thyroid cancer with unusual clinical manifestations. The first case describes a patient who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism and was found to have papillary thyroid cancer on a cervical lymph node biopsy. While this may be coincidental, the literature raises the question of whether there may be an association. The second case describes a patient who presents with a suspicious thyroid nodule and was subsequently diagnosed with follicular thyroid cancer on biopsy. This raises the question of performing thyroidectomy early in patients with a suspicious thyroid nodule but a false negative biopsy. The third case describes a patient with a scalp lesion found to have poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma, a rare presentation of this form of cancer.

Incidental Finding of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in the Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism

OBJECTIVE

The relationship between primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) and papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) still remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the incidence of the co-existence of pHPT and PTC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2010 and 2013, all patients with pHPT were retrospectively reviewed and those undergoing concomitant thyroid surgery were recorded. Of these, patients with a pathological result showing papillary or micro-papillary thyroid cancer were included into the study. A chart review of 228 patients who underwent surgery for pHPT revealed 86 (37.7%) patients with concurrent thyroid disease requiring surgical treatment.

RESULTS

Thyroid cancer was noted in six female patients (6.9%) undergoing thyroid resection, and 2.6% of all patients with pHPT. Four patients underwent total thyroidectomy while lobectomy was applied in the remaining two. None of the cases with lobectomy required a completion thyroidectomy.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated the concurrence of PTC and pHPT at a rate of 2.6% which appeared as a coincidental pathology; however, thyroid disorders, seen in one of three patients with pHPT, were not uncommon. Further research is still needed to develop a reliable explanation for relationship between pHPT and non-medullary thyroid cancer.

Synchronous papillary thyroid carcinoma and primary hyperparathyroidism: diagnosis and management issues

The occurrence of a papillary thyroid carcinoma in a patient with primary hyperparathyroidism is rare. Awareness of this condition will enable clinicians to evaluate for possible thyroid pathology in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. Both of these endocrine conditions could then be managed with a single surgery involving concomitant resection of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. We report a case of a 53-year-old woman with a parathyroid adenoma and a unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma, and detail the clinical features, diagnosis, and management.

Association of parathyroid pathology with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to evaluate the association of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and parathyroid pathology.

METHODS

The medical records of 14 patients with concomitant pathologies were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

Parathyroidectomies (1.3%) and thyroidectomies (3.5%) performed for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma resulted in the diagnosis of concomitant pathologies. Five patients had a primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and nine were operated for thyroidectomy with intraoperative finding of an enlarged parathyroid gland. Patients (64%) were normocalcemic preoperatively. Thirteen had papillary carcinoma. Fifty percent of patients had multiple foci of papillary microcarcinoma. Twenty-nine percent of patients had parathyroid hyperplasia. All patients with preoperative hypercalcemia normalized their serum calcium. During follow-up, thyroglobuline, calcium serum values and cervical ultrasound showed no evidence of recurrence of the diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

These observations stress the importance of pre and intraoperative evaluation to detect overt thyroid and parathyroid pathology before performing a parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism or a thyroidectomy for a well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Primary hyperparathyroidism and incidental multifocal metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma in a man

Co-existence of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and non-medullary thyroid carcinoma has been previously reported in sporadic case reports and some surgical series, but the majority of cases concerned women with occult papillary carcinomas without cervical lymph node involvement. We present a 71-year man with PHPT and multinodular goiter who was subjected to surgery for single parathyroid adenoma and was found to have synchronous multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with cervical lymph node involvement. Review of the literature retrieved only a few similar cases. Ultrasonography of both thyroid and parathyroid glands might be considered in patients with hyperparathyroidism. Given that there are no specific guidelines for the management of patients with synchronous PHPT and PTC, they should be managed like the cases of single PTC.

Parathyroid adenomas seen in the clinical follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a diagnostic dilemma

The coexistence of nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma and parathyroid adenoma is an uncommon clinical entity. In most of the previously published studies, thyroid carcinomas are diagnosed incidentally during or after the treatment of parathyroid disease, mostly in the pathology specimens. Here, we report 2 cases of parathyroid adenoma who presented years after the treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Neither of the patients had symptoms of hypercalcemia and hyperparathyroidism, and parathyroid adenomas were diagnosed on routine physical examination of the neck and on routine monitoring of serum calcium levels.