Psammoma bodies in metastatic carcinoma to the thyroid

In a review of the 427 cases of thyroid with malignant neoplasm that were surgically resected at the Cancer Institute Hospital during the 10-yr period from 1978 to 1987, five cases of metastatic carcinoma to the thyroid were found. Psammoma bodies were histologically observed in three of the five cases. Primary thyroid carcinoma was highly suspected in the three cases, because psammoma bodies were detected during preoperative examinations that included image diagnosis and aspiration biopsy cytology. Thus, the presence of psammoma bodies in any kind of thyroid tumor should be carefully evaluated, both clinically and histologically, to ensure that the possibility of metastatic origin is not overlooked.