Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: long-term survival after radical surgery

Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid is a highly malignant disease with few survivors over one year. Radical surgery and laryngectomy are usually considered contraindicated. A 50-year-old woman with a history of papillary carcinoma treated with external radiation developed anaplastic giant-cell carcinoma of the thyroid invading the soft tissues of the neck including the larynx. Since surgery was felt to represent her only chance for survival, she underwent laryngopharyngectomy, right radical-neck dissection, and pharyngeal reconstruction. Three years after the surgery was performed, she is living an active life with only minor handicaps. Nevertheless, multiple nodules were noted in her lungs on recent tomographic examination. Our experience with this woman suggests that there is a role for radical surgery and laryngectomy in selected cases of anaplastic carcinoma.