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Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

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The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology

Abstract

Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) is a rare malignancy, accounting for 0.3–6.7% of all thyroid cancers. The age at presentation is between 18 and 63 years, with a slight female predilection. It has an aggressive clinical behavior intermediate between that of the well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas and undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma. PDTC is a thyroid carcinoma of follicular cell origin characterized by an insular, solid, or trabecular growth pattern. The most classic form of PDTC is the insular type, defined by its cellular nests or insular cell groups outlined by a thin fibrovascular border. Cytologically, PDTCs are difficult to recognize as such because they are rare; their cytomorphologic features overlap with those of follicular neoplasms; and their characteristic FNA features do not have great specificity. The tumor cells are positive for keratins, thyroglobulin, TTF-1, and PAX8. Because of their poor clinical prognosis, PDTCs are usually managed more aggressively than well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas, and treatment may include consideration of postoperative 131I therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pathology, University Hospital, Rue du Bugnon 25, Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland

    Massimo Bongiovanni

  2. Anatomic Pathology and Histology, Catholic University – Foundation Agostino Gemelli Hospital, Rome, Italy

    Guido Fadda

  3. Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    William C. Faquin

Authors
  1. Massimo Bongiovanni
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  2. Guido Fadda
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  3. William C. Faquin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Massimo Bongiovanni .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital/The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Syed Z. Ali

  2. Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Edmund S. Cibas

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Bongiovanni, M., Fadda, G., Faquin, W.C. (2018). Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma. In: Ali, S., Cibas, E. (eds) The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60570-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60570-8_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-60569-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-60570-8

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