Primary leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid gland

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Primary leiomyosarcomas of the thyroid gland are exceptionally rare entities.
• Accurate preoperative diagnosis is challenging due to overlapping clinical and imaging features with other thyroid malignancies.

Observation:

• A 65-year-old woman presented with a rapidly enlarging neck mass over two months.
• Preoperative differential diagnoses included medullary thyroid cancer, anaplastic thyroid cancer, and primary or metastatic sarcoma.

Findings:

• The patient underwent total thyroidectomy, bilateral central neck dissections, and cervical thymectomy.
• Postoperative treatment included chemotherapy with ifosfamide and adriamycin.

Implications:

• This case underscores the importance of considering rare sarcomas in the differential diagnosis of aggressive thyroid masses.
• Reviewing literature on thyroid leiomyosarcoma aids in understanding pathology and optimizing multimodal treatment strategies, including surgery and adjuvant therapies.