Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Spontaneous Murine Model of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Published on: February 3, 2023
Metastatic Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma Presenting as Thoracic Cord Compression
Ryan Petrucci1, Karrar Bohreh1, Navin Niles1
1Liverpool Hospital Department of Endocrine Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery, Elizabeth Street, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia.
Abstract:
Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is an uncommon cancer and the incidence of FTC is higher in endemic areas of iodine deficiency or endemic goiter. Up until the 1990s Fiji was listed as an iodine deficient country. We report a rare case of a 53-year-old native Fijian man who presented to our hospital with spinal cord compression due to a metastatic deposit of an undiagnosed FTC. He underwent emergent neurosurgical treatment for his cord compression, with histology of the lesion at the level of T5 identifying metastatic FTC. Despite the emergent surgery, he did not have any neurological recovery. Total thyroidectomy confirmed the presence of a large left-sided FTC and the patient was assessed for radioactive iodine treatment. Nuclear medicine imaging revealed extensive distant bony metastatic disease. Unfortunately due to his significant distant disease burden, he was unable to undergo radioactive iodine ablation therapy. After significant allied health input he was discharged home with community palliative care input.
Related Concept Videos
Aneurysm II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Thoracic Aorta
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Pneumothorax-II
Clinical Manifestations:
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
The Thoracic Cage: Sternum
The sternum is the elongated bony structure on the anterior side of the thoracic cage. It consists of three parts: the manubrium, the body, and the xiphoid...

