[An autopsy case of metastatic thyroid tumor]

In a survey of the thyroid glands of 621 patients with terminal malignant tumors, 50 (8.1%) were found to be associated with metastatic tumors. Examination of routine autopsy materials revealed this association in 11 out of 269 cases (4.1%); observations using multiple sections showed in this association 39 of 352 (11.1%) cases. The primary cancer sites most commonly associated with metastasis to the thyroid gland were the breast (8 of 25 cases, 32.0%), the lung (13 of 65. 20.0%), and the esophagus (3 of 16, 18.8%). Morphological observations showed the formation of regional nodules in 13 cases, diffuse infiltration into the whole thyroid gland in 17 and intravascular embolism alone in 20 patients. There changes were inferred to be due to hematogenous metastases.