Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Secondary Lymphoma Involving Metastatic Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma to the Skull: A Unique Example of Tumor-to-Tumor Metastasis

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Head and Neck Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Tumor-to-tumor metastases to the skull, presenting as a scalp mass, and thyroid follicular carcinoma presenting in that location are extremely rare. We present the case of a patient with recently diagnosed retroperitoneal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and an 8-year history of a non-tender large scalp-based mass. The scalp mass was an osteolytic enhancing lesion on imaging studies and diagnosed as metastatic thyroid carcinoma to the skull. The patient had no pre-existing history of thyroid cancer. This metastatic carcinoma was also secondarily involved with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This case illustrates a unique and previously unreported example of tumor-to-tumor metastasis in which both malignancies represent metastatic tumors to the skull with soft tissue extension presenting as a large scalp mass.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  1. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures 2007. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  2. McCormack KR. Bone metastases from thyroid carcinoma. Cancer. 1966;19:181–4.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nagamine Y, Suzuki J, Katakura R, et al. Skull metastasis of thyroid carcinoma. J Neurosurg. 1985;63:526–31.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Sherman RS, Ivker M. The roentgen appearance of thyroid metastases in bone. Am J Roent. 1950;63:196–203.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Petraki C, Vaslamatzis M, Argyrakos T, et al. Tumor to tumor metastasis: report of two cases and review of the literature. Int J Surg Pathol. 2003;11:127–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Kearns DB, Robinson LD, Wright GL, et al. Skull metastases from follicular thyroid carcinoma. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1988;114:454–6.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Tickoo SK, Pittas AG, Adler M, et al. Bone metastases from thyroid carcinoma, a histopathologic study with clinical correlates. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2000;124:1440–7.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hedinger C. Histologic typing of thyroid tumors (international histological classification of tumors). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Rosai J. Thyroid gland. In: Rosai J, editor. Rosai and Ackerman’s surgical pathology. 9th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2004. p. 515–94.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cichon S, Anielski R, Konturek A, et al. Metastases to the thyroid gland: seventeen cases operated on in a single clinical center. Langenbecks Arch Surg 2006;391:581–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Papi G, Fadda G, Corsello SM, et al. Metastases to the thyroid gland: prevalence, clinicopathological aspects and prognosis: a 10-year experience. Clin Endocrinol. 2007;66:565–71.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Shimaoka K, Sokal JE, Pickren JW. Metastatic neoplasms in the thyroid gland. Cancer. 1962;15:557–65.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Meissner WA, Phillips MJ. Diffuse small-cell carcinoma of the thyroid. Arch Pathol. 1962;74:291–7.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Silverberg SG, Vidone RA. Metastatic tumors in the thyroid. Pac Med Surg. 1966;74:175–80.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Takashima S, Takayama F, Momose M, et al. Secondary malignant lymphoma which simulated primary thyroid cancer. J Clin Imaging. 2000;24:162–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Campbell LV, Gilbert E, Chamberlain CR, et al. Metastases of cancer to cancer. Cancer. 1968;22:635–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Fadare O, Parkash V, Fiedler PN, et al. Tumor-to-tumor metastasis to a thyroid follicular adenoma as the initial presentation of a colonic adenocarcinoma. Pathol Int. 2005;55:574–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Terzi A, Altundag K, Saglam A, et al. Isolated metastasis of malignant melanoma into follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland. J Endocrinol Invest. 2004;27:967–8.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Maule M, Scelo G, Pastore G, et al. Risk of second malignant neoplasms after childhood leukemia and lymphoma: an international study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007;99:790–800.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Sigurdson AJ, Ronckers CM, Mertens AC, et al. Primary thyroid cancer after a first tumour in childhood (the childhood cancer survivor study): a nested case-control study. Lancet. 2005;365:2014–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Tucker MA, Morris Jones PH, Boice JD, et al. Therapeutic radiation at a young age is linked to secondary thyroid cancer. Cancer Res. 1991;51:2885–8.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Dudeque Pianovski MA, de Lacerda Filho L. A teenager with simultaneous Hodgkin disease and thyroid carcinoma. Med Pediatr Oncol. 1998;31:91–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Maurea S, Lastoria S, Klain M, et al. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in a patient with follicular thyroid cancer: the role of 99mTc-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile imaging. J Nucl Biol Med. 1994;38:18–21.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bocian A, Kopczynski J, Rieske P, et al. Simultaneous occurrence of medullary and papillary carcinomas of the thyroid gland with metastases of papillary carcinoma to the cervical lymph nodes and the coinciding small B-cell lymphocytic lymphoma of the lymph nodes—a case report. Pol J Pathol. 2004;55:23–30.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Sullu Y, Donmez G, Kandemir B, et al. Renal cell carcinoma with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma infiltration: a case report. Pathol Res Pract. 2007;203:625–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Anatomic Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8118, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Ji Lu, John L. Frater, Friederike H. Kreisel & Anjum Hassan

  2. Department of Pathology, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, 3015 North Ballas Rd, St. Louis, MO, 63131, USA

    Joseph N. Marcus

Authors
  1. Ji Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John L. Frater
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Friederike H. Kreisel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Joseph N. Marcus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Anjum Hassan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ji Lu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lu, J., Frater, J.L., Kreisel, F.H. et al. Secondary Lymphoma Involving Metastatic Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma to the Skull: A Unique Example of Tumor-to-Tumor Metastasis. Head and Neck Pathol 2, 209–212 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-008-0051-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-008-0051-8

Keywords:

Search

Navigation