Extramedullary hemopoiesis in a thyroid nodule with extensive bone metaplasia and mature bone formation

Abstract

Thyroid nodules may undergo a wide range of degenerative change such as infarction, hemorrhage, or fibrosis, which may be localized or extensive and associated with calcification or even ossification. However, the detection of true bone formation in a thyroid nodule is a very rare occurrence. Extramedullary hemopoiesis (EMH) has been described in almost every organ of the body, mainly in tissues active in hemopoiesis in embryonic life. It is extremely rare for EMH to occur in the thyroid gland especially in patients without known chronic anemia. We describe a case of a cold thyroid nodule with histologically proven extensive bone metaplasia and formation of mature bone with foci of hemopoietic tissue in a young woman without chronic anemia, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to be reported in the English language literature.