Fine-needle aspiration cytology of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma thyroid: A rare entity

• Main Authors: Reetu Kundu, Rajpal Singh Punia, Harsh Mohan, Uma Handa, Nitin Gupta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-01-01
• Series: Journal of Cytology
• Subjects: Fine-needle aspiration cytology; metastasis; squamous cell carcinoma; thyroid
• Online Access: http://www.jcytol.org/article.asp?issn=0970-9371;year=2014;volume=31;issue=4;spage=210;epage=212;aulast=Kundu

Metastasis to the thyroid gland is rare with majority of cases discovered during an autopsy. Clinical presentation with a palpable thyroid or functional disturbances in thyroid is uncommon. We report isolated metastasis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to the thyroid gland diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration cytology which is minimally invasive and a preferred preliminary diagnostic modality in palpable thyroid swellings. A diagnosis of extra thyroidal SCC is a diagnosis of exclusion when there is no evidence of a coexistent recognizable primary thyroid cancer and/or molecular signatures suggestive of thyroidal origin.