Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39070383›Full record

ArticleCureus2024

Two Rare Cases of Metastatic Occult Thyroid Carcinoma Without Primary Cancer in the Thyroid Gland.

Kenny H Do, Emily S Sagalow, Richard Wang, Oluwafunmilola T Okuyemi, Jo-Lawrence Bigcas

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Kenny H DoDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, USA.
Emily S SagalowDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, USA.
Richard WangDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, USA.
Oluwafunmilola T OkuyemiDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, USA.
Jo-Lawrence BigcasDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Las Vegas, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) contributes to the majority of all thyroid malignancies. In this case report, we detail two cases of occult thyroid carcinoma (OTC), which presents with thyroid metastasis to locoregional lymph nodes without having an initial primary tumor detected in the thyroid gland. OTC may be found incidentally on biopsy, surgery, or imaging. Advancements in diagnostic technology have allowed physicians to identify and treat OTC at an earlier stage. We present two patients who were found to have metastases to cervical lymph nodes without a primary identification in the thyroid gland. The first patient was a 67-year-old female who noticed an enlarging mass in her right neck at levels III and IV. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) revealed the presence of PTC. The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy, central nodal dissection, and right-modified radical neck dissection. Final pathology confirmed the presence of PTC metastasis to cervical lymph nodes, but no primary tumor was identified within the thyroid gland. The second patient was a 79-year-old male who presented with a painless mass of the left parotid gland. The FNA of the patient revealed PTC metastasis to his left parotid gland. The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy, ipsilateral central nodal dissection, ipsilateral modified radical neck dissection, and inferior superficial and deep lobe parotidectomy. No malignancy was detected within the thyroid gland or central or lateral neck lymph nodes on final pathology. Carcinoma was confined to an intra-parotid node in the deep lobe of the parotid gland. OTC is a rare phenomenon in PTC. One proposed theory for OTC includes spontaneous regression of the primary tumor and genetic mutations to the BRAF gene. Due to the fact that it is easy for this rare condition to be misdiagnosed, more studies should be conducted to standardize diagnostic and treatment plans for OTC.

Indexed as

head and neck surgeryneck dissectionoccult thyroid carcinomaotolaryngologypapillary thyroid carcinomathyroid metastasis

Identifiers

PMID39070383
PMCPMC11283070

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.