Background: Metastasis to the breast is rare. We herein report a patient with metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma to the breast for whom measuring the calcitonin level was an important clue to the correct diagnosis.
Case Presentation: A 54-year-old woman visited our hospital for the treatment of recurrent metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma due to multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A and breast cancer. Positron emission tomography performed before the operation for metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma recurrence in the neck showed the accumulation of F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the bilateral breast at sites other than the disease in the neck. Ultrasonography revealed multiple tumors in both breasts. A core needle biopsy of three breast tumors was performed. Microscopically, the tumor cells showed solid growth and did not show a tubular structure. She was diagnosed with triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma. Post-operative positron emission tomography was performed as the serum calcitonin level increased after the operation. The accumulation of F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the bilateral breast tumors and lymph nodes in the neck was noted. The possibility of the breast tumors being metastasis of metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma was considered. Needle aspiration was performed for three breast tumors. The calcitonin level of the washout fluid was measured and found to be ≥ 17,500 pg/mL. Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were calcitonin-positive and gross cystic disease fluid protein-15-negative. Vandetanib was started as recurrent metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma with breast metastasis was finally diagnosed. The serum calcitonin level decreased after 1 month.
Conclusion: Although breast metastasis of medullary thyroid carcinoma is rare, a correct diagnosis is indispensable for appropriate treatment. When a breast tumor shows atypical morphological features for breast cancer according to the histopathology in a patient with a history of cancer, metastasis to the breast should be considered. Calcitonin measurement of the needle washout fluid was useful for confirming metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40792-021-01273-w | DOI Listing |
BMC Cancer
December 2024
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Background: Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) is closely associated with mutations in the RET proto-oncogene, placing the activated RET protein at the center of MTC pathogenesis. Existing therapeutic solutions, primarily tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as selpercatinib, vandetanib, and cabozantinib, have shown moderate efficacy but are accompanied by increased risks of side effects and resistance. This study unveils a promising avenue using nonactin, a compound historically recognized for its antibacterial properties, targeting the G-quadruplex interactions within the RET proto-oncogene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurgery
December 2024
UOC Chirurgia Endocrina e Metabolica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Centro di Ricerca in Chirurgia delle Ghiandole Endocrine e dell'Obesità, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Eur J Surg Oncol
December 2024
Medical Faculty, Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, D-06097, Halle (Saale), Germany; Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Division of Endocrine Surgery, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45122, Essen, Germany.
Background: Whether inherited in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B at germline level or acquired in a lifetime, all RET p.M918T (RET c.2753T>C) mutations should activate the RET tyrosine kinase receptor alike, with similar degrees of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) progression when disparities in disease onset and multifocal growth are accounted for.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThyroid
December 2024
Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare cancer with variable disease course. To enable optimal care, centralization and consensus guidelines are essential. This study describes trends in the incidence, organization of care, surgical treatment, and outcomes of MTC over 30 years in the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Case Rep
December 2024
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical School Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran.
Given the limited availability of PET/CT scans, Tc-(V) DMSA scintigraphy can be used to investigate possible metastases, especially in bone, in individuals with medullary thyroid cancer, even if there are no noticeable signs or symptoms of pain.
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