Thyroid metastasis of adenocarcinoma of the lung

Abstract

The thyroid gland is highly vascularized, causing a greater predisposition to metastasis, although it is rare. In clinical practice they are little known, sometimes bringing about difficulty for diagnosis and treatment. When there is thyroid metastasis the prognosis is generally grim. This study presents the case of an 80-year-old male patient complaining of intense dyspnea and edema in the lower limbs. Physical examination revealed subcutaneous cellular tissue infiltrating both lower limbs, crepitant in the right hemithorax. During his admission he continued with marked respiratory distress. There was a history of chronic smoking, treated hypertension, lung tumor diagnosed about four months ago, under radiotherapy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure. A chest X-ray showed homogeneous radiopacity of the entire left hemithorax. The patient underwent treatment. On the fifth day of admission he died and a clinical necropsy was performed. The study concluded the case as a mucin-producing adenocarcinoma of the upper lobe of the left lung with unique metastasis to the right thyroid lobe, developed on the colloid goiter as well as metastasis to the mediastinal lymph nodes. The case showed clinical and morphological peculiarities that motivated its presentation.