A pancreatic metastasis of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: a rare case report

Abstract

Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. It is characterized by abrupt development with local and distant metastases. Metastases are essentially present in the lung. Pancreatic metastasis is extremely rare. The authors report that, to their knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient who developed metachronous pancreatic metastasis related to ATC. Case Presentation: A 65-year-old woman, with a history of thyroidectomy, 2 years prior, for an anaplastic thyroid tumor presented in his regular follow-up computed tomography scan a hypodense lesion of the head of the pancreas. Definite diagnosis of neoplasm was difficult following the computed tomography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The patient had a cephalic duodenopanceatectomy with an uneventful recovery. Histopathology concluded in a pancreatic metastasis of ATC metastasis. The patient had uneventful outcomes with a follow-up of 3 months without tumor recurrence. Conclusion: Pancreatic metastases of thyroid carcinomas are extremely rare, particularly for ATC. The diagnosis of metastases is based on a regular follow-up. The prognosis is poor despite curative surgery.