Abstract

PINTO-VALDIVIA, Miguel; ORTIZ-TORRES, Milagros; VILLENA-CHAVEZ, Jaime  and  CHIAN-GARCIA, César. Anaplastic thyroid cancer: A case report. Rev Med Hered [online]. 2012, vol.23, n.2, pp.115-118. ISSN 1018-130X.

A 40-year-old woman presented with a four weeks history of weight loss, rapid thyroid enlargement, and generalized bone pain. Her previous medical history was unremarkable. Physical examination showed a painless multinodular goiter with multiple cervical lymph nodes. Laboratory tests showed anemia, elevated levels of transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and lactic dehydrogenase. Thyroid profile was normal and thyroid autoantibodies were negative. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed a malignant carcinoma of thyroid. A total thyroidectomy and extensive neck dissection for lymph nodes were performed. Pathology examination showed an anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. The clinical evolution was torpid, and patient died because of respiratory insufficiency, secondary to pulmonary embolism. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is an uncommon and lethal malignancy. Distant metastases are associated with a low survival rate.

Keywords : Thyroid neoplasms; neoplasm metastasis.

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