Bone metastases in patient with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Clinical Cases 21.02.2008
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Section: Musculoskeletal system
Case Type: Clinical Cases
Patient: 59 years, female
Authors: Vallini V, Bulleri A, Prof. Caramella D, Prof. Bartolozzi C. University of Pisa - Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Department of Oncology, Transplants and New Technologies in Medicine 56126 - Pisa / ITALY
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AI Report

Clinical History

Bone metastases caused by thyroid carcinoma treated in 1999 with thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy.

Imaging Findings

The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy for carcinoma and histological exam revealed a papillary-follicular (differentiated) cancer presenting perithyroid tissues invasion. Therefore she underwent a radioiodine therapy but, after this treatment, the total-body scintigraphy showed bone metastases located in the lumbo-sacral spine. Radioiodine therapy was repeatedly administered to the patient with no evidence of disease worsening until 2005, when the patient began to suffer from dorsal-lumbo-sacral pain, bilateral paresthesia of inferior limbs and increase of the serum thyroglobulin level. She underwent a total-body scintigraphy and a CT exam which showed the progression of bone metastases. These lesions, even if treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy, progressed involving right iliac ala and ischiopubic bone, left acetabular-pubic region and dorsal vertebra (D 10). In December 2007 the patient underwent a CT exam of chest and abdomen. The resulting images (herewith attached) show the differences between the large lesion located on the right iliac ala (treated with radiation therapy several times) and the recent vertebral lesion.

Discussion

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy and papillary carcinoma is the most common subtype of the thyroid neoplasms. It has a relative frequency ranging from 75% to 85% among all thyroid cancers and frequently follows a benign course. The presence of previous cases in close relatives is unlikely to increase the risk for thyroid cancer; the strongest known factor is previous exposure to radiation. Metastases are an uncommon event occurring in approximately 9% of all patients with a diagnosis of thyroid cancer; when they occur, lung and bone are preferentially affected. Differentiated thyroid carcinoma is one of the most curable cancers and the prognosis of metastatic disease is more favorable than other carcinomas. It is characterized by a slowly progressive course and there are not significant differences in survival curves by age, sex, metastases site, histopathology or interval to distant metastases. Routine thyroid function exams are unlikely to raise suspicions for thyroid cancer, conversely serum thyroglobulin, a marker of differentiated forms, has proven useful. Lungs are the most frequent distant metastases site in thyroid cancer, occurring in 7% of all papillary thyroid carcinoma patients and >80% of those with multiple metastases. Furthermore, nearly half of the deaths in thyroid cancer are caused by pulmonary failure. Incidence of bone metastases ranges from less than 1% to more than 40% and it varies according to the primary tumor type and to the tumor differentiation. Multiple metastatic lesions are mainly treated by radioiodine therapy (differentiated thyroid carcinomas), L-thyroxine, radiotherapy in case of isolated radio-sensitive lesions and chemotherapy. Palliative resection is indicated to improve quality of life for patients with symptomatic bone lesions associated with pain, pathologic fractures, neurological symptoms from spinal cord compromise or central nervous system metastases. Complete metastasectomy results in slightly improved survival rates in patients with localized metastases from differentiated thyroid cancer.

Differential Diagnosis List

Bone metastases in patient with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Final Diagnosis

Bone metastases in patient with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Liscense

Figures

Abdominal CT, in the arterial phase.

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Abdominal CT, in the arterial phase.

Elaborations of CT images.

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Elaborations of CT images.