Primary leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid with concurrent papillary thyroid cancer: a rare case report and a review of literature

BACKGROUND

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a soft tissue malignant tumor that has a predilection to the abdominopelvic and limb smooth muscles. LMS of the thyroid is exceptionally rare. Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy and originates from the thyroid epithelial layer. To our knowledge, the presence of both tumors in the same patient has not been reported previously.

CASE PRESENTATION & LITERATURE REVIEW

A 42-year-old woman presented with a progressively enlarging neck mass for a few months. She underwent left thyroid lobectomy, and the histology showed high-grade primary LMS of the thyroid. She subsequently underwent a complete thyroidectomy, which identified a classical PTC on her right lobe. Our comprehensive literature review identified 39 published cases of primary LMS of the thyroid. The average tumor size was 5.88 cm and occurred more in women. The most common presentation was neck mass, followed by compressive symptoms. Recurrence and metastasis were uncommon at 15% and 10-25%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Thyroid LMS is a rare malignancy with a worse prognosis than PTC. A thorough workup must be done to rule out metastasis before labeling it as primary thyroid cancer.

Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of smooth muscle origin. It is extremely rare as a primary thyroid cancer with only 33 cases previously described in the literature. We present the case of a 69-year-old Caucasian man who presented with a 5-month history of left cervical lymphadenopathy and a suspicious mass in the left thyroid lobe on ultrasound scan. Left hemithyroidectomy confirmed the diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma. A review of current understanding and approaches to management of this rare condition are discussed.

Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma: a case report and review of the literature

Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is an extremely rare tumor. We report a case of a 47-year-old male with a rapidly growing neck mass and disfagia. Preoperative investigations were diagnostic of anaplastic carcinoma. Total thyroidectomy with partial esophagectomy and dissection of right infrahyoid muscles was performed. Through histolological and immunohistochemical evaluations a primary thyroid high-grade LMS was diagnosed. At 2 months of follow-up a local recurrence was detected and consequently the patient was submitted to chemotherapy with partial response. He is still alive 9 months after surgery. Diagnosis of primary thyroid LMS is difficult due to its similarity to other more common thyroid tumors. To date, there is no standard therapy and prognosis is poor.

Primary Leiomyosarcoma of the Thyroid Gland - A Rare Malignancy

Primary leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of thyroid is rare malignant neoplasm usually seen in elderly patients. These tumours are characterised by a rapidly growing mass in the neck, difficult to diagnose preoperatively and are highly aggressive with high recurrence rates in spite of radical surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We herein report a case of 50-year-old female with a rapidly growing painless mass in the neck. Total thyroidectomy with bilateral neck node clearance was done. Histology and Immunohistochemistry revealed primary LMS of thyroid gland. Within 1 month of radical surgery she developed local recurrence. Diagnosis of primary LMS is difficult and immunohistochemistry is necessary to differentiate it from other malignancies of the thyroid. Primary LMS remains a life-threatening tumour and more effective treatment are needed to improve outcome.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid gland with prior malignancy and radiotherapy: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the thyroid gland is a rarely presented tumor that offers poor prognosis. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there currently exist only 28 known cases described in the literature (limited to English).

CASE SUMMARY

Herein a case is reported of a 60-year-old female patient who had an LMS of the thyroid, which was accompanied by periodic dysphonia and breathing disorder as well as the feeling of pressure in the chest and neck. At the time the disease was diagnosed, no metastases were detected. Prior to the diagnosis, the patient experienced a uterine adenocarcinoma that had been treated by surgical procedure and radiotherapy. For the LMS, a total thyroidectomy was performed, followed by radiotherapy. Since metastases were also discovered in the lungs, sternum, and femur, chemotherapy was administered as well. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells in the thyroid indicated positively for alpha smooth muscle actin, calponin, and H-caldesmon, but were negative for CD34, p63, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Epstein-Barr virus.

CONCLUSION

Although the etiology of the LMS is as of yet unknown, prior malignancy and radiation should be considered as risk factors.

Clinicopathological features of primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma without Epstein-Barr virus infection: A case report

Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare tumor type with an unusual location, the diagnosis is based entirely on histological and immunohistochemical evaluations. In the present study, a rare case of a 74-year-old female patient who exhibited a right anterior neck mass for 12 months, which rapidly enlarged for the last 3 months. Ultrasound of the thyroid revealed a 55×42 mm hypoechoic mass with clear margins in the right lobe. Histological examination of the tumor demonstrated malignant spindle cells in interlacing fascicles and whorls. Additionally, nuclear pleomorphism, tumor giant cells, necrosis and abnormal mitotic figures were observed. The immunohistochemistry indicated that the tumor cells were strongly positive for smooth muscle actin, desmin, p53 and vimentin expression, but negative for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, thyroid transcription factor-1, paired box-8, 34βE12, cytokeratin 5/6, cluster of differentiation (CD)117, myoglobin, S100, p16. The final histopathological diagnosis was primary thyroid LMS.

Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma: A case report and literature review

Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is an extremely rare soft tissue cancer; only 22 cases have been reported in the literature to date. In the current study, the case of an 83-year-old male patient who presented with a neck mass that had grown rapidly over the previous 3 months is reported. The patient underwent thyroid lobectomy twice and two cycles of immunotherapy for the treatment of primary thyroid LMS; however, he succumbed to the disease 5 months after the second surgery. An accurate diagnosis of primary thyroid LMS is difficult, as the disease is often misdiagnosed as anaplastic carcinoma, and requires the combined assessment of clinical, imaging and pathological data. Diagnosis of the current patient with primary thyroid LMS and a comprehensive review of the relevant literature are presented herein.

Thyroid leiomyosarcoma: presentation of two cases and review of the literature

Introduction

Leiomyosarcoma is a tumor which is rarely seen in the thyroid gland. The diagnosis may be difficult and the treatment is controversial.

Objective

The objective of the study is to review the literature about a rare malignant disease of the thyroid gland which has high mortality.

Methods

Two cases of thyroid leiomyosarcoma are presented and the previous 23 cases in the current literature are reviewed.

Results

A total of 25 cases of thyroid leiomyosarcoma are reviewed; the most common complaint was rapidly growing anterior neck mass, and ten of the 25 patients had distant metastasis at the initial admission. Fifteen of the 25 patients died with the disease in the first 12 months after the diagnosis.

Conclusion

The differential diagnosis of thyroid leiomyosarcoma is important and should be performed with other malignancies of the gland, especially with anaplastic carcinoma. The prognosis is poor and there is no consensus regarding the treatment.