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Contrast enhanced CT scan focused on the right thyroid nodule that infiltrates the pre-laryngeal muscles (white arrow).
Source publication
About one third of focal thyroid uptakes in a fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) study are malignant, the most frequent histological type being papillary carcinoma. Metastases to the thyroid account for approximately 7.5% of thyroid malignancies and come mainly from kidney, lung, head and neck, an...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... T3L: 2.8 pg/mL, normal calcitonin levels). Fine needle aspiration retrieved a poorly differentiated malignant tumor. As she had the old history of uterine leiomyosarcoma, the local multidisciplinary meeting decided to refer the patient for a pre-operative 18 F-FDG PET/CT. The right thyroid nodule that was infiltrating the pre-laryngeal muscles (Fig. 1) demonstrated a very high 18 F-FDG uptake (SUVmax: 12). Other pathological areas of focal uptake located in the lungs, in a left iliac osteolytic lesion and in the vagina were simultaneously detected during the scan (Fig. 2). Despite the presence of multiple foci suspicious of metastases, thyroid surgery was maintained because the ...
Similar publications
Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) accounts for approximately 5-10% of soft tissue sarcomas, with an estimated incidence in the United States (US) of less than one case/200,000 persons, more frequent in women than men. Approximately two-thirds of LMSs are retroperitoneal, abdominal, and mediastinal. Localized, soft tissue LMSs represent a lower percentage, with...
Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant tumor arising from smooth muscle cells accounting for 10-20% of soft tissue sarcomas and less than 2% are located in head and neck region. We report a case of leiomyosarcoma of maxilla in a 26-year-old female patient referred to Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry. Patient complained of...
Introduction and importance
Primary sarcomas in the head and neck region are rare. Inflammatory leiomyosarcoma was first described in 1995. The case reported herein is the first reported inflammatory leiomyosarcoma occurring in the head and neck.
Presentation of case
A 37-year-old male presented with a long history of an asymptomatic slowly enlarg...
PurposeAbdominopelvic leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma of smooth muscle, becoming usually manifest with a compressive effect on adjacent structures. A biopsy sample is necessary to obtain the definitive diagnosis. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT), showing the most glucose-avid part of t...
Citations
... Gynecological leiomyosarcoma has poor prognosis because of local invasiveness and a tendency for distant metastasis usually to the liver, lung, and bone [6]. Metastasis to the head and neck region is rare, with only 24 cases reported in the literature [2,[7][8][9][10][11][12]. The rarity of metastasis to the head and neck increases the likelihood of misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis [1,13], particularly when concurrent liver or lung metastases are absent. ...
Background
Leiomyosarcoma usually develops in the myometrium and is characterized by a high recurrence rate, frequent hematogenous dissemination, and poor prognosis. Metastasis is usually to lungs, liver, and bone, and occasionally to the brain, but seldom to the head and neck region. Primary leiomyosarcoma very rarely arises in the broad ligament.
Case presentation
A 54-year old woman presented to the otolaryngology department with a mass in the right posterior region of the neck 4 years after surgery for a primary leiomyosarcoma of the right broad ligament. The neck mass was removed and found to be a metastatic leiomyosarcoma. Leiomyosarcoma localizations in lungs and liver were absent. Morphological examination showed both the primary and the secondary leiomyosarcomas to have features of low-grade tumors. One year after excision of the neck mass, the patient presented with tachycardia. Echocardiography detected two intracardiac nodules suggestive of metastatic tumors. Chemotherapy was administered; the disease has been stable since then.
Conclusions
We report the first case of broad ligament leiomyosarcoma with the neck subcutaneous region being the first site of secondary involvement. We speculate that the Batson venous plexus might have been the pathway of dissemination.
... Uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) is a type of malignant soft tissue tumors showing distinctive morphologic features and molecular signatures [1]. ULMS has poor prognosis and high recurrence rate [2][3][4]. Currently, the treatment of ULMS is mostly by surgery with some adjuvant therapies, such as cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiotherapy [5][6][7]. Due to the complex molecular heterogeneity of ULMS and unavailability of targeted therapeutic methods, the five-year survival rate of ULMS is still low [8]. ...
Background
Uterine leiomyosarcoma (ULMS) is an aggressive form of soft tissue tumors. The molecular heterogeneity and pathogenesis of ULMS are not well understood.
Methods
Expression profiling data were used to determine the possibility and optimal number of ULMS molecular subtypes. Next, clinicopathological characters and molecular pathways were analyzed in each subtype to prospect the clinical applications and progression mechanisms of ULMS.
Results
Two distinct molecular subtypes of ULMS were defined based on different gene expression signatures. Subtype I ULMS recapitulated low-grade ULMS, the gene expression pattern of which resembled normal smooth muscle cells, characterized by overexpression of smooth muscle function genes such as LMOD1, SLMAP, MYLK, MYH11. In contrast, subtype II ULMS recapitulated high-grade ULMS with higher tumor weight and invasion rate, and was characterized by overexpression of genes involved in the pathway of epithelial to mesenchymal transition and tumorigenesis, such as CDK6, MAPK13 and HOXA1.
Conclusions
We identified two distinct molecular subtypes of ULMS responding differently to chemotherapy treatment. Our findings provide a better understanding of ULMS intrinsic molecular subtypes, and will potentially facilitate the development of subtype-specific diagnosis biomarkers and therapy strategies for these tumors.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-017-3568-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Uterine leiomyosarcomas are malignant tumors that have a grim prognosis. These neoplasms have a high metastatic potential. Limited literature exists on leiomyosarcoma metastasizing to the thyroid. This case emphasizes the importance of considering metastasis as a possible cause for thyroid swelling in patients with a history of malignancy.
Metastatic leiomyosarcoma to the thyroid is an extremely rare occurrence, and only 18 cases have been reported. Here, we report a case of a 37-year-old woman who presented with multiple masses on the scalp. Excisional biopsy was done and the mass revealed fascicles of smooth muscle fibers which showed positive staining for smooth muscle actin, thus confirming the diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma. The patient was also found to have a 0.9 cm mass within the left thyroid. Fine-needle aspiration was done and the cytological smear showed hypercellular spindle cell clusters with hyperchromatic and large nuclei. Normal thyroid follicular cells were found within or around tumor cells. In this report, we present the cytologic findings of metastatic leiomyosarcoma to the thyroid and offer differential diagnoses of the aspirated spindle cells.
Cancer metastasis to the thyroid gland from non-thyroid sites is a rare presentation in clinical practice. The most frequent primary cancers that metastasise to the thyroid are renal cell carcinoma, followed by colorectal, lung and breast. We report a case of a 64-year-old Malay lady who presented with anterior neck swelling 4 years after an initial diagnosis of uterine leiomyosarcoma. She had undergone a hysterectomy procedure four years ago. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid mass suggested undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma. After multi-disciplinary discussion, the patient underwent thyroidectomy and the final histopathological diagnosis was metastatic leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid. The diagnosis was aided by an immunohistochemistry panel of positive myogenic markers, negative epithelial markers as well as the previous medical history of uterine leiomyosarcoma. Metastatic leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid may mimic primary undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma (UTC) with a sarcomatoid pattern, medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) with spindle cells morphology and spindle cell tumour with thymus-like differentiation (SETTLE). Hence, a multidisciplinary approach must be practised by pathologists, surgeons and radiologists to consider metastatic lesions of the thyroid gland, especially when a previous history of cancer exists or is suspected.
Background
Liposarcomas are the second most common type of soft tissue sarcomas. Typically, myxoid liposarcomas have a metastatic rate of 10%, usually involving the retroperitoneal space, abdomen, and spine. Metastasis to the thyroid is extremely rare.
Design/Method
A 62‐year‐old male with a history of metastatic myxoid liposarcoma in his right thigh presented to our clinic for evaluation of a thyroid nodule incidentally identified on a CT scan. A subsequent FNA biopsy was suggestive of a metastatic liposarcoma.
Results
The patient underwent a left thyroid lobectomy and final pathology confirmed a grade II/III metastatic myxoid liposarcoma that measured 3.3 cm. The patient tolerated the procedure well.
Conclusions
Our case highlights the role of a patient's medical history when evaluating thyroid nodules to optimize accurate diagnosis, as liposarcomas do not typically metastasize to the thyroid. We also provide an updated review of the literature on all cases of metastatic sarcomas to the thyroid.
Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare tumor type with an unusual location, the diagnosis is based entirely on histological and immunohistochemical evaluations. In the present study, a rare case of a 74-year-old female patient who exhibited a right anterior neck mass for 12 months, which rapidly enlarged for the last 3 months. Ultrasound of the thyroid revealed a 55x42 mm hypoechoic mass with clear margins in the right lobe. Histological examination of the tumor demonstrated malignant spindle cells in interlacing fascicles and whorls. Additionally, nuclear pleomorphism, tumor giant cells, necrosis and abnormal mitotic figures were observed. The immunohistochemistry indicated that the tumor cells were strongly positive for smooth muscle actin, desmin, p53 and vimentin expression, but negative for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, thyroid transcription factor-1, paired box-8, 34βE12, cytokeratin 5/6, cluster of differentiation (CD)117, myoglobin, S100, p16. The final histopathological diagnosis was primary thyroid LMS.
