Neuroendocrine neoplasm with metastasis to the thyroid - a case report and literature review

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore

Neuroendocrine neoplasm with metastasis to the thyroid is presented through a detailed clinical case, emphasizing the rarity of rectal neuroendocrine neoplasm metastasizing to the thyroid gland and outlining diagnostic and therapeutic considerations. The report reviews existing evidence on thyroid metastases from nonthyroid malignancies, then focuses on how clinical history and tumor characteristics should guide evaluation of thyroid nodules. Management feasibility is discussed, including when neck surgery may be appropriate after comprehensive assessment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Introduction

Case report

TYPE Case Report PUBLISHED 28 April 2023 DOI 10.3389/fonc.2023.1024908 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Pinuccia Faviana, University of Pisa, Italy REVIEWED BY Zheyu Yang, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Lucian George Eftimie, Dr. Carol Davila Central Military Emergency University Hospital, Romania *CORRESPONDENCE Ding-cun Luo [ldc65@163.com](ldc65@163.com) †These authors have contributed equally to this work RECEIVED 22 August 2022 ACCEPTED 12 April 2023 PUBLISHED 28 April 2023 CITATION Zhang Y, Lin B, Lu K-n, Teng Y-p, Zhou T-h, Da J-y, Wu F, Pan G and Luo D-c (2023) Neuroendocrine neoplasm with metastasis to the thyroid: a case report and literature review. Front. Oncol. 13:1024908 . doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1024908 COPYRIGHT © 2023 Zhang, Lin, Lu, Teng, Zhou, Da, Wu, Pan and Luo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Neuroendocrine neoplasm with metastasis to the thyroid: a case report and literature review Yu Zhang 1,2†, Bei Lin 2†, Kai-ning Lu 3†, Yue-ping Teng 4, Tian-han Zhou 5, Jia-yang Da 6, Fan Wu 1, Gang Pan 1 and Ding-cun Luo 1,2* 1 Department of Oncological Surgery, Afﬁliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 2The Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 3 Department of Breast Surgery, First Afﬁliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China, 4 Department of Operating Room, Afﬁliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 5 Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 6 Department of Dermatology, Third People's Hospital of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, China Thyroid cancer can be divided into two types according to its cellular origin, i. e., malignant tumors originating from thyroid cells and cancers that metastasize to the thyroid from other sites, the latter of which are, clinically rare. This article reports the diagnosis and treatment of a rectal neuroendocrine neoplasm metastasis to the thyroid. No similar cases have been reported before. This case suggests that when evaluating thyroid tumors, clinicians should not only carefully identify the clinical features of the tumor but also pay special attention to the patient’s history of tumors, especially neuroendocrine neoplasms. Fordeﬁnite secondary thyroid malignancies, neck surgery is feasible if the thyroid is the only site of metastasis; otherwise, the subsequent diagnosis and treatment plan should be determined after a comprehensive evaluation of the primary tumor and patient’s general condition. KEYWORDS neuroendocrine tumor, neoplasm metastasis, thyroid gland, rectal cancer, FNA 1 Introduction Thyroid metastases (TMs) refer to a class of diseases that metastasize from nonthyroid malignancies to the thyroid. A retrospective study by Ghossein CA (1) found that the incidence of TM was 0.36% among all patients with thyroid malignancies who visited the center from 2003 to 2019. According to Tang Q (2), who reviewed the literature from 1979 to 2021, the most common origins of metastasis in these patients were renal cell carcinoma (48.1%), colorectal cancer (10.4%), lung cancer (8.3%), breast cancer (7.8%) and sarcoma (4.0%) . The majority of colorectal cancer metastases to the thyroid originate from colorectal adenocarcinoma (3–5), and no cases of metastasis from rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) to the thyroid gland have been reported. Herein, we r

FAQs

What does thyroid metastasis mean in this article?

Thyroid metastases refer to malignant tumors that spread to the thyroid from nonthyroid primary sites. The article frames thyroid metastases as a distinct class of disease and describes reported incidence and common metastatic origins.

How was the thyroid nodule evaluated in the presented case?

The case describes clinical assessment followed by imaging. Color Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography demonstrated multiple bilateral thyroid nodules with increased signals.

When is neck surgery considered feasible for secondary thyroid malignancies?

Neck surgery is feasible if the thyroid is the only metastatic site. If metastasis involves other sites, subsequent diagnosis and treatment planning should follow a comprehensive evaluation of the primary tumor and the patient’s general condition.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore