Surgical management of metastases to the thyroid gland

Abstract

Background: Metastases to the thyroid gland are uncommon, with rates reported between 0.02% and 1.4% of surgically resected thyroid specimens. Our goal was to present our experience with surgical management of metastases to the thyroid gland.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with metastatic disease to the thyroid were identified from a database of 1,992 patients with thyroid cancer who had surgery during 1986-2005. Patient, tumor, treatment, and outcome details were recorded by analysis of charts. The median age at time of surgery was 68 (range, 39-83) years; 12 were men and 9 were women.

Results: All patients were managed by surgery, including lobectomy in ten patients, total thyroidectomy in six, completion thyroidectomy in two, and subtotal thyroidectomy in one. In two patients, the thyroid lesion was found to be unresectable at the time of surgery. Histopathology revealed renal cell carcinoma in ten, malignant melanoma in three, gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma in three, breast cancer in one, sarcoma in one, and adenocarcinoma from an unknown primary site in three patients. Seventeen patients have died. The cause of death in all 17 was widespread metastatic disease from their respective primary tumors. The median survival from surgery to death or last follow-up was 26.5 (range, 2-114) months.

Conclusions: In patients with metastases to the thyroid gland, local control of metastatic disease in the central compartment of the neck can be successfully achieved with minimal morbidity with surgical resection in selected patients.