A case of metastasis from gastric cancer to the thyroid gland

Metastatic tumors in the thyroid gland are rarely seen in clinical practice. This report describes a case of metastasis from gastric cancer to the thyroid, found five years after removal of the primary gastric lesion. The patient had a large thyroid mass extending to the mediastinum, but there were no obvious metastatic lesions anywhere except in the thyroid. Subtotal thyroidectomy was performed and histological examination revealed the same findings a those of the original gastric cancer. Of additional interest are the findings that led us to believe this metastatic tumor produced alpha-fetoprotein. Seven months following the operation, the patient dies suddenly and, although it is difficult to say whether the patient's survival was prolonged, we believe that the thyroid surgery gene him considerable palliation.