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. 2019 Aug 30;5(1):137.
doi: 10.1186/s40792-019-0695-5.

Thyroid metastasis from esophageal adenocarcinoma: a case report and literature review

Affiliations

Thyroid metastasis from esophageal adenocarcinoma: a case report and literature review

Shinsei Yumoto et al. Surg Case Rep. .

Abstract

Background: The incidence of metastatic spread of gastrointestinal malignancies to the thyroid gland is relatively low and most of these malignancies originate from the colorectum. Thyroid metastasis originating from the esophagus is poorly documented.

Case presentation: A 79-year-old man presented with hoarseness of voice and swallowing difficulty. Eighteen months earlier, he had undergone preoperative chemotherapy (S-1 and oxaliplatin [SOX] therapy) and subtotal esophagectomy with regional lymph nodes dissection and retrosternal narrow gastric tube reconstruction for advanced Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma. In the ultrasonographic examination, there was a hypoechoic, indistinct border and heterogeneous nodule in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Pathological examination of an ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration showed adenocarcinoma, supporting a diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma metastases in the thyroid.

Conclusion: This is a first case of a patient with thyroid metastasis from Barrett's esophageal adenocarcinoma after subtotal esophagectomy.

Keywords: Barrett’s esophageal adenocarcinoma; Esophageal cancer; Thyroid metastasis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hematoxylin-eosin staining of the resected specimen. a Adenocarcinoma is present at the esophagogastric junction (× 20 magnification). b A moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma is present at the esophagogastric junction (× 200 magnification). c Distal esophageal squamous epithelium is replaced by specialized columnar epithelium with goblet cells (× 200 magnification)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Imaging and pathological findings. a Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed a low-density mass in left thyroid gland. b, c Ultrasonographic (US) examination showed a hypoechoic, indistinct border and heterogeneous nodule measuring 16.9 mm × 19.7 mm × 23.9 mm in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. d Pathological examination of an ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration showed adenocarcinoma

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