Postoperative recurrence of diffuse sclerosing thyroid cancer in an adolescent patient: A case report

Papillary thyroid cancer is an inert malignant tumor with a good response to surgical treatment, low recurrence and metastasis rate, and good prognosis. Diffuse sclerosing thyroid cancer is an invasive subtype that is more common in young people, with a higher rate of lymph node metastasis and recurrence, and a relatively poor prognosis.

A 13-year-old girl underwent radical surgery for diffuse sclerosing thyroid cancer. Eight years later, due to a large number of lymph node metastases, she underwent another radical surgery on her neck lymph nodes.

The patient thyroid ultrasound and neck enhanced CT indicated that the patient had multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the neck with irregular morphology and structure, and the possibility of metastatic lymph nodes was high. Subsequently, the patient underwent thyroid fine-needle aspiration and the results showed that cancer cells were detected in both cervical lymph nodes.

The patient was diagnosed with bilateral cervical lymph node metastases after thyroid surgery.

After the second surgery, the patient recovered well, and no residual or focal iodine uptake tissue was found on the enhanced CT examination.

As diffuse sclerosing thyroid cancer is prone to lymph node and recurrent metastases, once it is diagnosed, radical treatment should be actively performed. Postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy should be administered according to the patient condition and regular follow-ups should be conducted to monitor neck lymph node metastasis.