Metastases to the thyroid gland: A report of 32 cases in PUMCH

RATIONALE: Metastases of nonthyroid malignancies to the thyroid gland are rare, and only sporadic cases have been reported in literature. We present our experience in treating patients with metastases to the thyroid gland at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. PATIENT CONCERNS: The clinical data of 32 patients who presented with secondary thyroid tumors were retrospectively analyzed. INTERVENTIONS: Eleven patients (34.5%) had thyroidectomy.Two patients (6.25%) had tracheostomies to alleviate compression caused by enlarged thyroid tumors. OUTCOMES: The most common primary lesion was in the lungs (14/32), followed by the kidney (5/32) and gastrointestinal system (5/32). The interval from the diagnosis of the primary tumor to thyroid metastasis varied from 0 month to 16 years. Ten patients (31.3%) are still alive, and the longest follow-up survival time was 7 years. LESSONS: Thyroid metastases are rare, and the lung was the most common primary site of origin. It seems that thyroidectomy has not been considered in cases with a high clinical stage of the neoplastic process such as lung cancer.