Adrenal metastasis from papillary thyroid cancer: staged surgical resection.
Dhalapathy Sadacharan, Abinaya Venkateswaran, Swaminathan Kalyanasundaram et al.
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Case in brief
A man in his 70s with a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma presented with recurrence in the right cervical lymph nodes and a right adrenal mass measuring 5.7×6.5 cm. A CT-guided biopsy confirmed metastatic disease. Staged surgical resection was performed, first removing the lymph nodes and then the adrenal gland. Postoperatively, serum thyroglobulin levels decreased significantly, and imaging showed no evidence of disease.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Clinicians should consider the possibility of adrenal metastasis in patients with elevated thyroglobulin levels and a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma, as cross-sectional imaging of the abdomen may be warranted.
Why it matters
This case underscores the importance of monitoring for synchronous locoregional and distant recurrences in thyroid cancer, which can influence management strategies.