Juvenile thyroid carcinoma with metastasis to the bilateral cervical lymph nodes--a case report

A case of juvenile thyroid carcinoma with metastasis to the bilateral cervical lymph nodes in a 9-year-old male is reported. The clinical picture of juvenile thyroid carcinoma is characterized by early metastasis to the lungs and cervical lymph nodes. In Europe, there have been many reports of thyroid carcinoma after radiation. However, our patient had received no radiation. Surgery consisted of subtotal thyroidectomy and right modified neck dissection. The tumor was a papillary adenocarcinoma and metastasis was seen in 24 out of 38 lymph nodes removed. The serum thyroglobulin level, determined by radioimmunoassay, was 184 ng/ml preoperatively, but by 8 months postoperatively the level fell to 48 ng/ml. No signs of recurrence have been found to date (30 months after the operation).