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Thyroid metastasis from breast cancer presenting with diffuse microcalcifications on sonography: a case report
Yi-Pei Liu1, Chui-Mei Tiu, Yi-Hong Chou
1Department of Radiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; National Yang Ming University, School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Journal of Clinical Ultrasound : JCU
|April 23, 2014
Summary
Thyroid ultrasound showing microcalcifications can indicate papillary thyroid cancer. However, this case reveals that breast cancer metastasis can also present with microcalcifications, mimicking primary thyroid cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Microcalcifications on thyroid sonography are often linked to papillary thyroid cancer.
- Metastatic extrathyroidal malignancies can mimic thyroid neoplasms but typically lack microcalcifications.
Observation:
- A 45-year-old woman with a history of bilateral invasive ductal breast carcinoma underwent thyroid sonography.
- The ultrasound revealed diffuse microcalcifications in the thyroid gland, lacking a distinct nodular component.
Findings:
- Core needle biopsy confirmed metastatic breast cancer within the thyroid gland.
- This presentation mimicked primary thyroid neoplasm but was definitively identified as metastasis from primary breast cancer.
Implications:
- Thyroid microcalcifications, while commonly associated with thyroid cancer, can also be a sonographic feature of breast cancer metastasis.
- This case underscores the necessity of including metastatic disease in the differential diagnosis for thyroid microcalcifications, especially in patients with a history of malignancy.
- Accurate diagnosis through biopsy is crucial for appropriate patient management and treatment planning.
