Insular Type of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma- A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Insular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma is a rare pattern. Here, we report a case of poorly differentiated invasive insular variant of papillary thyroid cancer. Case: A 55 year-old lady presented with 5 years history of an anterior neck mass. In fact she had thyroidectomy performed many years ago and she was on levothyroxine suppression therapy. Thyroid ultrasound revealed right thyroid heterogeneous macrocalcification with compression of the trachea. She was treated with surgery and histology confirmed "insular thyroid papillary carcinoma growth. She received multiple sessions of radiotherapy planned to receive radioactive iodine. Conclusion: Insular thyroid carcinoma is a rare entity of papillary cancer. It is aggressive in nature and has a poor prognosis. This pathology requires an early diagnosis and treatment in order to improve the survival.

Cytomorphological and clinical features of follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma (with focal insular pattern) metastasis to kidney

“…It is known that insular thyroid carcinomas have a high incidence of metastasis, recurrence, mortality, and poor prognosis. [ 6 ] Focal insular pattern may explain the aggressive behavior and the large number of distant metastases of the initial carcinoma.…”