A case of metastatic lung carcinoma in the thyroid gland presenting as a goiter

This report concerns a patient with primary lung cancer that had metastasized to the thyroid, and who was treated with a single-stage surgical operation. The thyroid gland has generally been considered to be an infrequent site for metastasis of primary carcinomas of other organs, but metastatic thyroid disease has been found with moderate frequency in postmortem studies. Although there is no clear consensus regarding the role of surgery in the treatment of metastatic disease of the thyroid, the postoperative course of our patient prompts us not to advocate thyroidectomy in cases of advanced and aggressive tumors such as carcinoma of the lung. Adequate diagnosis and treatment of thyroid metastasis should be considered, after which an aggressive surgical approach may be recommended for selected patients.