Radical Surgery for Primary Thyroid Lymphoma in Elderly Patients: A Short Report

Abstract

Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare neoplasm that requires early and accurate diagnosis, as its approach and management is different from other thyroid malignancies. Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) usually presents with rapidly growing neck mass with pressure symptoms. We report two elderly females with PTL who developed a painless enlarging thyroid mass. They had no medical history or family history of thyroid disease. Based on clinical symptoms and radiologic findings, both of them underwent surgical resection of the tumors. Ultrasonography and CT scan showed no specific findings, and like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, only a large diffuse thyroid with nodular tissue was found. Postoperative histologic examination revealed high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Overall, these cases emphasize the importance of considering Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) when dealing with large thyroid tumors. Although the treatment of choice for Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is chemoradiotherapy, surgery could be performed when the diagnosis is inconclusive or has compressive symptoms.

Keywords

• primary thyroid lymphoma
• non-hodgkin’s lymphoma
• thyroid