Columnar-cell carcinoma of the thyroid

A case of columnar-cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland occurring in a 77-year-old female is described. Tracheal deviation and calcified anterior neck lesion were showed in X-ray examination. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a soft tissue density mass with calcification of the right thyroid lobe and isthmus. A 99mTc scintiscan showed a ‘cold’ nodule, whereas a 201Tl scintiscan showed a ‘hot’ in the right thyroid lobe and isthmus. Subtotal thyroidectomy and dissection of paratracheal adipose tissue were performed after fine needle aspiration cytology (FNA) of the thyroid mass had been done. On the FNA smears, there were many papillary fragments, which contained pseudostratified columnar cells. Histopathologically, the tumor had three different types of neoplasm including papillary carcinoma of usual feature, columnar-cell carcinoma and follicular carcinoma. Transitional changes were observed between columnar-cell carcinoma and follicular carcinoma. The patient has been followed up for 3 years, with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis.