Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Dec 16, 2023; 11(35): 8379-8384
Published online Dec 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i35.8379
Multifocal papillary thyroid cancer in Graves’ disease: A case report
Naweed Alzaman
Naweed Alzaman, Department of Internal Medicine, Taibah University College of Medicine, Tayba 42353, Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Alzaman N confirms sole responsibility for the following: study conception and design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of results and manuscript preparation.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the author declares that he has no conflict of interest to disclose.
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Corresponding author: Naweed Alzaman, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Taibah University College of Medicine, Janadah Bin Umayyah Road, Tayba 42353, Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia. nzaman@taibahu.edu.sa
Received: August 31, 2023
Peer-review started: August 31, 2023
First decision: October 9, 2023
Revised: November 4, 2023
Accepted: December 5, 2023
Article in press: December 5, 2023
Published online: December 16, 2023
Processing time: 104 Days and 20.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Thyroid cancer is not commonly observed in patients with Graves’ disease (GD). The presence of thyroid nodules in GD is not uncommon. However, a link between these two entities has been reported. Herein, we report the case of a patient with GD and thyroid cancer in Saudi Arabia, which has not been reported previously in our region.

CASE SUMMARY

A 26-year-old male patient with GD, receiving carbimazole for 2 years, presented to our hospital. His hyperthyroidism was controlled clinically and biochemically. On clinical examination, he was found to have a left-sided thyroid nodule. Ultrasound revealed a 2.6 cm hypoechoic nodule with high vascularity. He was then referred for fine needle aspiration which showed that the nodule was highly suspicious for malignancy. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and was diagnosed with multifocal classical micropapillary thyroid cancer. Post thyroidectomy he received radioactive iodine ablation along with levothyroxine replacement therapy.

CONCLUSION

Careful preoperative assessment and thyroid gland ultrasound might assist in screening and diagnosing thyroid cancer in patients with GD.

Keywords: Graves’ disease; Thyroid cancer; Thyroid nodules; Ultrasound; Multifocal; Case report

Core Tip: Thyroid cancer in male patients with Graves’ disease (GD) is rare. We report the first case of multifocal micropapillary thyroid cancer in a young male patient with GD in Saudi Arabia, which was detected by careful clinical examination followed by ultrasonographic evaluation of the nodule.