Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, accounting for 85% of differentiated thyroid cancers. A small percentage of PTC variants are considered more aggressive, such as the tall cell variant associated with the V600E mutation in the BRAF gene and the rarer columnar va...

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Main Authors: Albert Gjeluci, Joseph Clark, Anugayathri Jawahar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2023-01-01
Series:Journal of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0042-1758122
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author Albert Gjeluci
Joseph Clark
Anugayathri Jawahar
author_facet Albert Gjeluci
Joseph Clark
Anugayathri Jawahar
author_sort Albert Gjeluci
collection DOAJ
description Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, accounting for 85% of differentiated thyroid cancers. A small percentage of PTC variants are considered more aggressive, such as the tall cell variant associated with the V600E mutation in the BRAF gene and the rarer columnar variant, which is described in only 0.2% of cases and has a poor prognosis. Although locoregional metastases to neck lymph nodes are common, distant metastases of PTC are rare at presentation with only 5 to 7% reported in the literature. We present a very rare case of columnar cell variant PTC with synchronous metastasis to the lungs and indolent focus in the pancreas at initial diagnosis, which has never been reported in the literature. Our patient presented with non-radioactive iodine (RAI) responsive PTC with diffuse metastases to the lungs and one synchronous focal metastatic lesion in the pancreas. After multidisciplinary discussions, pancreatectomy/metastasectomy was deferred due to the disseminated PTC with multiple metastases to the lungs, lack of pancreas-related symptoms in the patient, and inherent complication risks. The patient was treated with systemic therapy using a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (lenvatinib), which is the standard of care for non-RAI responsive PTC and showed a complete radiologic resolution of the pancreatic lesion, however, with partial yet nonprogressive metastatic disease in the lungs.
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spelling doaj.art-67f5805cc7c7448a8abfa3db9337d1d42023-02-14T00:41:37ZengThieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.Journal of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology2581-91782023-01-01060106206610.1055/s-0042-1758122Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of LiteratureAlbert Gjeluci0Joseph Clark1Anugayathri Jawahar2Department of Radiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, United StatesDepartment of Medical Oncology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, United StatesPapillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, accounting for 85% of differentiated thyroid cancers. A small percentage of PTC variants are considered more aggressive, such as the tall cell variant associated with the V600E mutation in the BRAF gene and the rarer columnar variant, which is described in only 0.2% of cases and has a poor prognosis. Although locoregional metastases to neck lymph nodes are common, distant metastases of PTC are rare at presentation with only 5 to 7% reported in the literature. We present a very rare case of columnar cell variant PTC with synchronous metastasis to the lungs and indolent focus in the pancreas at initial diagnosis, which has never been reported in the literature. Our patient presented with non-radioactive iodine (RAI) responsive PTC with diffuse metastases to the lungs and one synchronous focal metastatic lesion in the pancreas. After multidisciplinary discussions, pancreatectomy/metastasectomy was deferred due to the disseminated PTC with multiple metastases to the lungs, lack of pancreas-related symptoms in the patient, and inherent complication risks. The patient was treated with systemic therapy using a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (lenvatinib), which is the standard of care for non-RAI responsive PTC and showed a complete radiologic resolution of the pancreatic lesion, however, with partial yet nonprogressive metastatic disease in the lungs.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0042-1758122papillary thyroid cancercolumnar cell variantpancreatic thyroid metastasisptc metastases
spellingShingle Albert Gjeluci
Joseph Clark
Anugayathri Jawahar
Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Journal of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology
papillary thyroid cancer
columnar cell variant
pancreatic thyroid metastasis
ptc metastases
title Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature
title_full Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature
title_fullStr Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature
title_full_unstemmed Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature
title_short Rare Columnar Cell Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Metastasis to Pancreas and Lungs at Initial Presentation: A Case Report and Review of Literature
title_sort rare columnar cell variant papillary thyroid carcinoma with metastasis to pancreas and lungs at initial presentation a case report and review of literature
topic papillary thyroid cancer
columnar cell variant
pancreatic thyroid metastasis
ptc metastases
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0042-1758122
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AT josephclark rarecolumnarcellvariantpapillarythyroidcarcinomawithmetastasistopancreasandlungsatinitialpresentationacasereportandreviewofliterature
AT anugayathrijawahar rarecolumnarcellvariantpapillarythyroidcarcinomawithmetastasistopancreasandlungsatinitialpresentationacasereportandreviewofliterature