1NAANANI Othmane, 2CHACHA Hassane, 3A. Rhnia, 4M. Lahjaouj, 5M. Loudghiri, 6W. Bijou, 7Y. OUKESSOU, 8S.Rouadi, 9R.L. ABADA, 10M. ROUBAL, 11M. MAHTAR
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11ENT and Cervicofacial Surgery Department, CHU Ibn Rochd, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University, Casablanc
ABSTRACT
Thyroid metastases are rare in clinical practice. We report the case of a 75-year-old woman with a history of surgically treated plantar malignant melanoma, in whom an isolated thyroid nodule was incidentally discovered during oncologic follow-up. Clinical examination revealed no compressive symptoms or signs of thyroid dysfunction. Cervical ultrasound, followed by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration, showed atypical cells highly suggestive of a melanocytic origin, which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry (positive for HMB-45, S-100, and Melan- A). A total thyroidectomy was performed, and histological analysis confirmed a solitary thyroid metastasis from malignant melanoma. Thyroid function was preserved. This case highlights the importance of considering metastatic disease in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules in patients with a history of malignancy, even in the absence of suggestive clinical signs. Thyroidectomy allowed both definitive diagnosis and prevention of potential compressive complications.
KEYWORDS
thyroid metastasis, acral melanoma, fine-needle aspiration, immunohistochemistry
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