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Leiomyosarcoma: A Rare Tumor of the Thyroid

Abstract

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid gland is uncommon. To date, 20 cases have been reported in English in the literature. The tumors usually present in elderly patients with female predilection and are associated with poor clinical outcome. Herein, we report an additional case of primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma in a 64-year-old woman. She underwent total thyroidectomy and later was discovered to have multiple lung and liver metastases. The patient died 3 months after surgery. The major differential diagnoses including undifferentiated (anaplastic) carcinoma of the thyroid, spindle cell variant of medullary thyroid carcinoma, spindle cell tumor with thymus-like differentiation, uncommon primary tumor of the thyroid and metastatic tumors with predominant spindle cells are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate Mr. Vicha Sukphatdee, Ms. Naree Choosrichom and Ms. Nusara Chomanee, Department of Pathology, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University for ultrastructural study in this case.

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Correspondence to Jantima Tanboon.

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Tanboon, J., Keskool, P. Leiomyosarcoma: A Rare Tumor of the Thyroid. Endocr Pathol 24, 136–143 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-013-9251-1

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Keywords

  • Thyroid
  • Spindle cell tumor
  • Smooth muscle tumor
  • Leiomyosarcoma