Needle Tract Seeding of Thyroid Follicular Carcinoma after Fine-Needle Aspiration

Introduction. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies are fundamental procedures in the diagnoses of thyroid tumours. Reports of needle tract tumour seeding, however, question its practice regarding patient safety and potentially jeopardizing its widespread usage. Case Report. We describe a case of a 50-year-old lady with known multinodular goitre, and previous fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies of her thyroid nodules in 2010, who developed palpable right neck nodules 8 years after the initial FNA. Imaging and histological biopsies revealed suspicious right sternocleidomastoid (SCM) nodules that are likely needle tract tumour deposits. She underwent a total thyroidectomy with central compartment clearance and excision of the right SCM nodules and received radioactive iodine therapy thereafter. Discussion. Contrary to other forms of malignancies, needle tract seeding is an uncommon occurrence for thyroid cancers. Nevertheless, there is speculation regarding its potential in cutaneous spread of malignancy with studies investigating its optimal techniques and application. Conclusion. While FNA remains an indisputable tool in the management of thyroid tumours, precautions must be taken to safeguard patient safety and improve patient outcomes.