Patient Profile: A 64-Year-Old Woman With DTC

Opinion
Video

Lori Wirth, MD, a medical oncologist, reviews the case of a 64-year-old woman with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

Case: A 64-Year-Old Woman with DTC

Initial presentation

  • A 64-year-old woman presents with a painless “lump on her neck” with occasional swelling. She states she noticed this just a few days after returning from vacation.
  • PMH: Hyperlipidemia managed with medication; COPD
  • PE: palpable, non-tender solitary right-of-the midline neck mass; mobile supraclavicular mass on the same side; otherwise unremarkable


Clinical workup and initial treatment

  • Labs: TSH WNL
  • Ultrasound of the neck revealed a 3.3-cm suspicious right mass in the lobe of the thyroid; 2 suspicious supraclavicular lymph nodes (LNs), largest 2.0 cm in size.
  • Ultrasound-guided FNAB of the thyroid mass and the largest LN confirmed papillary thyroid carcinoma.
  • Patient underwent total thyroidectomy with central compartment node dissection and right selective neck dissection.
    • Pathology: 3.0-cm papillary thyroid cancer, columnar cell variant; 4/14 lateral positive LN, 3/3 central positive LN​
    • Largest lateral node was 2.2 cm with no extra-nodal extension
    • Margins were negative
    • Microscopic extrathyroidal extension present
  • Probable stage II; T2N1bM0 papillary thyroid cancer


Subsequent treatment and follow-up

  • She was treated with radioactive iodine 150 millicuries
    • Whole body scan showed uptake in the neck, consistent with remnant thyroid tissue
  • She was started on levothyroxine suppression therapy
  • Follow-up at 6 months
    • TSH 0.1 µU/mL, thyroglobulin 24 ng/mL (negative anti-thyroglobulin antibodies)
    • Chest CT scan showed 8 small bilateral lung nodules only several mm in size
  • Next-generation sequencing was negative for mutations, rearrangements
  • Follow-up CT chest scan and blood tests 3 months later
    • Thyroglobulin increased
    • Lung nodules had increased by up to 1 cm in size
  • Lenvatinib 24mg po qd was initiated
Recent Videos
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Jamie L. Koprivnikar, MD, an expert on MDS
Related Content