Limitations of Raised Thyroglobulin: Two Cases of Benign Lymphadenopathy Mimicking Thyroid Carcinoma.
Shireen S Gohari, Isaac Wasserman, Justine Philteos et al.
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Case in brief
The report describes two patients with cervical lymphadenopathy whose lymph-node washout samples showed markedly elevated thyroglobulin, a finding often considered suggestive of metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer. However, pathology showed benign lymph nodes. Both patients were carriers of iron-handling disorders. The cases demonstrate that elevated washout thyroglobulin did not correspond to malignancy in these patients; the abstract does not provide further clinical details or describe subsequent management.
What made this case unusual
Markedly elevated thyroglobulin washout occurred in benign cervical lymph nodes in patients who carried iron-handling disorders, creating a potential diagnostic mimic of thyroid cancer metastasis.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Interpret lymph-node thyroglobulin washout alongside pathology and other clinical findings; it should not be used as a standalone marker of metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.