Squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland: primary or secondary disease?

AbstractObjective:To review the aetiopathogenesis, clinical characteristics, immunohistochemical profile, prognosis and treatment options for primary thyroid squamous cell carcinoma, and to compare it with squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to the thyroid, thus providing the reader with a framework for differentiating primary and secondary disease.Method:Review of English language literature from the past 25 years.Search strategy:A search of the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases (April 1984 to April 2009) was undertaken to enable a comprehensive review.Results:After applying strict criteria for the diagnosis of primary thyroid squamous cell carcinoma, 28 articles were identified reporting 84 cases. When reviewing secondary thyroid squamous cell carcinoma, we only analysed cases of squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to the thyroid gland, and found 28 articles reporting 78 cases.Conclusion:It is possible to differentiate between primary and secondary thyroid squamous cell carcinoma, on the basis of combined evidence from clinical examination and endoscopic, pathological and radiological evaluation. Such differentiation is important, as the prognosis for primary squamous cell carcinoma is uniformly poor irrespective of treatment, and the most suitable option may be supportive therapy. Treatment for secondary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid varies with the site and extent of spread of the primary tumour.

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The Utility of Immunohistochemistry in Differentiating Metastatic Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Thyroid from a Primary Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Case Reports in Endocrinology ◽

10.1155/2019/8641267 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nern Hoong Kao ◽

Chien Sheng Tan ◽

Adrian Jit Hin Koh

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Thyroid Gland ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Primary Tumour ◽

Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Primary Site ◽

Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Diagnostic Challenge

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland (PSCCTh) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma with extensive squamous differentiation are rare entities which pose a diagnostic challenge in determining the primary site when presented as metastases. The difficulty in confirming a thyroid primary is further compounded by the aggressive nature of these tumours which frequently present at advanced stages. We present a case in which the patient presented with a thyroid mass and a lung mass simultaneously. The risk of misinterpreting the site of primary tumour as lung is greatly increased because squamous cell carcinoma of lung is much more common than its thyroid counterpart. This case highlights the effectiveness of PAX-8 stain in determining the primary site of tumour when squamous cell carcinoma is found in both lung and thyroid gland.

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Squamous cell carcinoma of the scrotum in HIV: two case reports

African Journal of Urology ◽

10.1186/s12301-021-00177-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jeff John ◽

Ken Kesner ◽

John Lazarus

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Case Reports ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Punch Biopsy ◽

Delayed Treatment ◽

Clinical Presentations ◽

T1 N0 M0

Abstract Background Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the scrotum was the first malignancy known to be associated with exposure to an occupational carcinogen—in this case, soot trapped in the breeches of chimney sweeps. Better civil rules and regulations and the replacement of hearths with other forms of heating have rendered SCC of the scrotum a rarity. We report two cases of scrotal SCC with vastly differing clinical presentations and management. Case presentation Case 1 had T1 N0 M0 disease and presented with a small (< 2 cm), innocuous-looking, non-healing ulcer of eight years duration. A punch biopsy revealed a superficially invasive SCC confirmed on immunohistochemical profiling. A wide local excision of the lesion was subsequently performed. Follow-up at three years showed no signs of recurrence. Case 2 presented with T4 N1 M1 disease and rapidly progressing locally destructive mass. A punch biopsy of the scrotal lesion confirmed invasive moderately differentiated focally keratinising SCC. The metastatic evaluation confirmed the presence of metastatic, extensive para-aortic lymphadenopathy. He was managed with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy. Conclusion Early detection and management of patients with SCC of the scrotum are essential. If the diagnosis is delayed, treatment options become limited, and the prognosis is poor. Notwithstanding the rarity of this disease, multicentre trials are needed to provide more precise guidelines as to the optimal management of these patients.

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Chemotherapy alone versus definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cT4b esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a population-based study

BMC Gastroenterology ◽

10.1186/s12876-021-01742-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chia-Chin Li ◽

Chih-Yi Chen ◽

Ying-Hsiang Chou ◽

Chih-Jen Huang ◽

Hsiu-Ying Ku ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Population Based ◽

Primary Analysis

Abstract Background The role of radiotherapy for cT4bNanyM0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESqCC) is relatively unclear, with both chemotherapy (C/T) alone and definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCCRT) being treatment options in the current guidelines. We aimed to compare the survival of dCCRT versus C/T for these patients via a population-based approach. Methods Eligible cT4b ESqCC patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2017 were identified via the Taiwan Cancer Registry. We used propensity score (PS) weighting to balance the observable potential confounders between groups. The hazard ratio (HR) of death and incidence of esophageal cancer mortality (IECM) were compared between dCCRT and C/T. We also evaluated OS in subgroups of either low or standard radiotherapy doses. Results Our primary analysis consisted of 247 patients in whom covariates were well balanced after PS weighing. The HR for death when dCCRT was compared with C/T was 0.36 (95% confidence interval 0.24–0.53, P < 0.001). Similar results were found for IECM. Statistical significance was only observed in the standard RT dose but not in the low dose in subgroup analyses. Conclusions In this population-based nonrandomized study of cT4bNanyM0 ESqCC patients from Asia (Taiwan), we found that the use of radiotherapy with chemotherapy was associated with better overall survival than chemotherapy alone. Further studies (especially RCTs) are needed to confirm our findings.

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