Case of cholestatic jaundice associated with papillary carcinoma of thyroid: a multidisciplinary challenge

The report describes a patient with cholestatic jaundice who had incidentally detected parathyroid hormone-independent hypercalcaemia. The differential diagnosis for this presentation includes systemic granulomatous and infiltrative disorders, drug-induced liver injury and malignancy. As the initial investigations were non-contributory towards the aetiology, she was given steroids and later plasma exchange for symptomatic treatment. The differentials were revised again in view of no clinical and biochemical response. A repeat fine-needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid nodule (seen on positron emission tomography/CT) revealed papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy. There was a complete normalisation of liver function tests and serum calcium, and resolution of pruritus 3 months post surgery. She was retrospectively diagnosed as a case of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with paraneoplastic manifestations-hypercalcaemia and cholestatic jaundice-which got resolved with treatment of the primary tumour.