An uncommon presentation of follicular thyroid carcinoma: when chronic back pain should raise a flag
Alvarado, M.; Ramirez-Vick, M.; Lopez, L.; Marcos-Martinez, M.J.; Saavedra, F.M.; Negron-Rivera, J.C.; Agosto, M.; Martinez, M.; Gonzalez, R.; Allende-Vigo, M.
Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 106(3): 36-39
2014
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4849 PMID: 25470908 Document Number: 702682
Follicular thyroid carcinoma is the second most common type of thyroid cancer, and its incidence has increased dramatically in recent years. Although it typically presents as a thyroid nodule, it can spread to distant sites via hematogenous dissemination. Bone metastasis is diagnosed clinically in 2%-13% of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer; nevertheless spinal cord compression complicating thyroid carcinoma is rare and only few cases has been reported in the literature. This case illustrates a strange case of a minimally invasive follicular carcinoma that showed an aggressive behavior, and thus the importance of considering metastatic thyroid carcinoma in the differential diagnosis of chronic back pain progressing to spinal cord compression carrying a severe morbidity.
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