Carcinoma thyroid duplex- coexistence of papillary thyroid carcinoma with thyroid lymphoma: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Background: Malignant tumors of the thyroid gland accounts about 1% of the newly diagnosed malignant tumors each year, and their incidence in women is twice the incidence in men. Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) represents 80-85% of thyroid cancer and its prevalence has been rising in the last decades. On the contrary, primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare disease, accounting for 3% of extranodal lymphomas and about 5% of thyroid malignancis. Despite several cases in witch both PTC and PTL arise in the setting of chronic lymphocyte thyreoiditis, the coexistence of both tumors is very rare.

The aim was to present a patient with a primary thyroid lymphoma and papillary thyroid carcinoma, who had previously not had any immunological changes to the gland, that is, she had not had any chronic lymphocyte thyroiditis, but due to the compressive syndrome it was necessary to perform an emergency surgical procedure to reduce the tumor.

Conclusion: Considering the higher risk of neoplasia in Haschimoto's thyreoiditis with long-standing disease and nodular lesions, our case highlights the importance of regular folow-up in order to reach an early diagnosis: in particular, a sudden tharoid enlargement in elder patients should lead physicians to consider PTL in the differential diagnosis.