A Case of Diffuse Sclerosing Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Mimicking Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Abstract

Diffuse Sclerosing Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (DSV-PTC) is a rare and aggressive subtype of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) The prognosis of this variant is as good as classic PTC, but close follow-up is necessary because of frequent tumour recurrence. The authors report a case of a 30-year-old female who presented with a 6-month history of gradually progressive midline neck swelling. Antithyroid antibodies were elevated, and radiology was suggestive of a colloid goitre. Total thyroidectomy was done along with anterior compartment lymph node removal for confirmation. Interestingly, histopathology showed a picture reminiscent of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT), but the lymph node showed tumour metastasis. Thereafter, additional sections were taken to establish the diagnosis of DSV-PTC in the thyroid. The present case highlights the importance of extensive sampling in histopathology for a suspected case of malignancy, as it can be misdiagnosed as a benign aetiology.

Keywords

• histology
• percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram
• rare variant