Metastasis from primary cancer to the thyroid is uncommon in breast cancer. Here we present a case of lobular breast carcinoma that metastasized to the thyroid. A 54-year-old woman without symptoms was admitted to our institution for staging of the lymph node above the left clavicle. An ¹⁸F-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography scan was performed for staging, and low uptakes were observed in the left supraclavicular and cervical lymph nodes. High uptake was seen in the posterior and lower left lobe of the thyroid. Histologic findings indicated lobular breast carcinoma (positive GATA3, loss of E-cadherin expression) metastatic to the thyroid with a luminal profile. Immunohistochemical analysis was negative for primary thyroid or parathyroid carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient presenting a metastatic invasive lobular carcinoma in the thyroid and lymph nodes without a prior diagnosis of breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cadherins ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Clavicle ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Phenobarbital ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Thyroid Gland*