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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1505800

Metastatic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Internal Jugular Vein Tumor Thrombus -A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Provisionally accepted
Adnan Zaina Adnan Zaina 1,2*Edmond Sabo Edmond Sabo 3,4Sameer Kassem Sameer Kassem 3,4
  • 1 Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • 3 Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Haifa, Israel
  • 4 The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Haifa, Israel

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignancy of the thyroid gland, typically associated with an indolent course and favourable prognosis. However, although rare, PTC can demonstrate aggressive behaviour, including vascular invasion with extension into major vessels. Intraluminal tumor thrombus involving the great veins, such as the internal jugular vein (IJV), is an uncommon but significant complication. We present the case of a 56-year-old male who was referred to our clinic for evaluation of a right-sided anterior neck mass. Neck ultrasonography revealed a 5.5 x 6.5 cm heterogeneous mass within the right thyroid lobe and a suspected intraluminal thrombus in the right internal jugular vein. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy under ultrasound guidance confirmed the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Subsequent preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the neck confirmed the presence of an intraluminal tumours thrombus extending into the right IJV. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy, right modified radical neck dissection, and resection of the involved segment of the IJV. Postoperatively, the patient received radioactive iodine (I-131) ablation therapy. At the one-year follow-up, imaging studies indicated a recurrence of the disease.A review of the literature focusing on vascular involvement in PTC and diagnostic methods for tumours thrombus reveals that, while rare, intraluminal tumor thrombus should be considered in patients with PTC, especially when there is evidence of vascular invasion. Early and accurate preoperative diagnosis using Doppler ultrasonography and/or contrastenhanced CT is critical for optimal surgical planning and improved prognosis. Given the potential for recurrence, vigilant long-term follow-up is recommended.

    Keywords: case report, Papillary thyroid carcinoma, Tumor thrombus, distant metastasis, Jugular vein, Enhanced CT

    Received: 03 Oct 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zaina, Sabo and Kassem. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Adnan Zaina, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel

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