Background:
Thyroid carcinoma represents a complex pathology that can still be considered a medical
challenge, despite having a better prognosis and life expectancy than most other neoplasms, also the scenario of multiple
malignancies involving thyroid cancer is nowadays a common reality.
Materials and methods:
We reviewed the literature
regarding the aggressive presentation of synchronous thyroid and breast cancer. In the current paper we are reporting the
case of a 59 years-old woman, diagnosed with invasive ductal breast carcinoma and papillary thyroid carcinoma,
presenting a natural history of both aggressive synchronous tumors. At the moment of hospitalization, the diagnostic was
breast carcinoma with multiple secondary lesions, suggestive for lung and bone metastases, and nodular goiter.
Results:
Searching the literature PUBMED with the terms “thyroid carcinoma and synchronous breast carcinoma we found 86
studies; introducing the term “aggressive” the result included 4 studies, among them none being relevant for aggressive
and synchronous. A similar search was done in SCOPUS finding 92 documents and after introducing the term aggressive,
the number of papers was 8, none being for the synchronous aggressive metastatic thyroid and breast carcinoma. The
majority of imaging diagnostic tools were used in this particular medical case, in order to ensure the best potential
outcome. The final diagnostic was papillary thyroid carcinoma with lung and unusual multiple bone metastases and
synchronous invasive ductal breast carcinoma with subcutaneous metastases.
Conclusion:
The case illustrates the
challenges in correct assessment of oncologic patients, despite the advances in medical imaging and technologies and
underlines the essential role of nuclear medicine procedures in the diagnostic and therapy protocols.
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