Abstract
Introduction: Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare cancer that is found in about 1% of thyroid malignant tumors and has an extremely poor prognosis. It is known that most of anaplastic transformation occurs in primary lesions, but rarely occurs in cervical lymph node lesions.
Case presentation: We report a case of 67-year-old female patien who underwent preoperative examination to diagnose papillary thyroid carcinoma and underwent surgery, but whose postoperative pathological examination revealed anaplastic transformation of metastatic cervical lymph nodes. Although postoperative radiation therapy was performed, rapid neck skin metastases, multiple lung metastases, and pleural effusion were observed, leading to an unfortunate outcome.
Conclusion: It is important to be aware that papillary thyroid carcinoma could develop anaplastic transformation at metastatic cervical lymph nodes.
Keywords: Papillary thyroid carcinoma, Anaplastic transformation, Metastatic cervical lymph node, Poor prognosis, Multidisciplinary treatment