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Intrathoracic papillary thyroid carcinoma from occult primary disease

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Abstract

A 42-year-old woman undertook a chest radiograph for a routine evaluation prior to surgery for pelvic endometrioma, which revealed a right paratracheal mass slightly displacing the trachea to the left. CT of the thorax disclosed a well demarcated, heterogeneous, lobular, right paratracheal mass, bearing punctate, coarse, and curvilinear calcifications. MRI further revealed two components within the lesion: a larger, cystic, exhibiting thin septations, and a solid component at the lower part exhibiting strong enhancement. No continuity of the mass with the thyroid gland was demonstrated, which had normal size and no focal lesion. Histological examination of the resected mass disclosed lymph node tissue infiltrated by papillary thyroid carcinoma; subsequent total thyroidectomy revealed small foci of papillary carcinoma within both lobes of the thyroid gland. Ablative dose I-131 was administered and the patient was put on daily thyroid supplements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, 68100, Alexandroupolis, Greece

    Anastasia Oikonomou, Emanuelle Astrinakis & Panos Prassopoulos

  2. Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, 68100, Alexandroupolis, Greece

    Alexandra Giatromanolaki

  3. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, 68100, Alexandroupolis, Greece

    Panagiotis Karros

  4. Department of Hematology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, 68100, Alexandroupolis, Greece

    Dimitrios Margaritis

Authors
  1. Anastasia Oikonomou
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  2. Emanuelle Astrinakis
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  3. Alexandra Giatromanolaki
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  4. Panagiotis Karros
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  5. Dimitrios Margaritis
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  6. Panos Prassopoulos
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Correspondence to Anastasia Oikonomou.

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Oikonomou, A., Astrinakis, E., Giatromanolaki, A. et al. Intrathoracic papillary thyroid carcinoma from occult primary disease. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 62, 198–201 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-013-0227-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-013-0227-3

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