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Columnar cell thyroid carcinoma - diagnostic dilemmas and pitfalls
open access
Abstract
A CASE REPORT: of a 34-year-old male patient, who presented withe rapidly growing mass in the neck, extending to the anterior and middle mediastinum, tightly closing the upper thoracic apperture and causing tracheal and oesophageal deviation, with minimal compression and stenosis. A diagnosis of columnar cell carcinoma, arising from the ectopic thyroid tissue just adjacent to the left thyroid lobe was based on histological and intraoperative findings. Near total thyroidectomy and lymph-node dissection were followed by external beam radiotherapy of the neck and mediastinum, chemotherapy and radioiodine ablation of the remaining functional thyroid tissue. Pre-and post-operative radionuclide imaging (99mTc(V)-DMSA, 99mTc-MIBI, 123-I-mIBG and Octreoscanr) findings are discussed, with a special emphasis given to the dilemmas in histological characterisation of the tumor, the problems in therapeutic approach and the dilemmas and pitfalls in the interpretation of radionuclide findings in this patient, especially the ones performed post radiotherapy of the neck and mediastinum.
Abstract
A CASE REPORT: of a 34-year-old male patient, who presented withe rapidly growing mass in the neck, extending to the anterior and middle mediastinum, tightly closing the upper thoracic apperture and causing tracheal and oesophageal deviation, with minimal compression and stenosis. A diagnosis of columnar cell carcinoma, arising from the ectopic thyroid tissue just adjacent to the left thyroid lobe was based on histological and intraoperative findings. Near total thyroidectomy and lymph-node dissection were followed by external beam radiotherapy of the neck and mediastinum, chemotherapy and radioiodine ablation of the remaining functional thyroid tissue. Pre-and post-operative radionuclide imaging (99mTc(V)-DMSA, 99mTc-MIBI, 123-I-mIBG and Octreoscanr) findings are discussed, with a special emphasis given to the dilemmas in histological characterisation of the tumor, the problems in therapeutic approach and the dilemmas and pitfalls in the interpretation of radionuclide findings in this patient, especially the ones performed post radiotherapy of the neck and mediastinum.
Keywords
columnar cell thyroid carcinoma; therapy; radionuclide imaging; interpretation pitfalls
About this articleTitle
Columnar cell thyroid carcinoma - diagnostic dilemmas and pitfalls
Journal
Issue
Pages
155-158
Published online
2003-10-10
Bibliographic record
Nucl. Med. Rev 2003;6(2):155-158.
Keywords
columnar cell thyroid carcinoma
therapy
radionuclide imaging
interpretation pitfalls
Authors
Ivana Žagar
Barbara Vidergar-Kralj
Andreja A. Schwarzbartl-Pevec
Franc Pompe