Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science

Case report

Thyroid storm caused by metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue after total thyroidectomy: a case report: So Hee Kwon, Min-Ji Kim, Sin Yeong Jung, Jae-Han Jeon; J Yeungnam Med Sci. 2023;40(Suppl):S93-S97. Published online May 17, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12701/jyms.2023.00199

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Thyroid storm is a life-threatening form of thyrotoxicosis and an endocrinological emergency. We present a case of thyroid storm in a patient with metastatic papillary thyroid cancer. A 67-year-old woman with a history of total thyroidectomy 4 years prior to presentation was admitted with deteriorating mental status, fever, and tachycardia. Laboratory tests revealed severe thyrotoxicosis. Although the patient had no residual thyroid tissue after total thyroidectomy, she had a previously diagnosed metastatic thyroid cancer lesion in the pelvic bone. Despite initial treatment with a standard thyroid storm regimen, the patient died 6 days after hospitalization. The patient had no history of Graves disease; however, a thyroxine receptor antibody was detected postmortem. The patient had a history of exposure to an iodine contrast agent, which is a rare cause of thyrotoxicosis. Thyroxine production from a differentiated thyroid carcinoma is rare but can be a source of clinically significant thyrotoxicosis in patients post-thyroidectomy. Overlapping Graves disease is a common stimulus; however, other causes, such as exogenous iodine, cannot be excluded. This case demonstrates that in the setting of metastatic thyroid carcinoma, thyrotoxicosis cannot be completely ruled out as a cause of suspicious symptoms, even in patients with a history of total thyroidectomy.

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Data Analysis and Systematic Scoping Review on the Pathogenesis and Modalities of Treatment of Thyroid Storm Complicated with Myocardial Involvement and Shock
Eman Elmenyar, Sarah Aoun, Zain Al Saadi, Ahmed Barkumi, Basar Cander, Hassan Al-Thani, Ayman El-Menyar
Diagnostics.2023; 13(19): 3028. CrossRef

Case Report

Metastatic papillary thyroid cancers with malignant pleural effusion aggravated during thyroid hormone withdrawal for radioiodine therapy.: Ji Hye Seo, Ji Hye Je, Hyun Jung Lee, Young Ju Na, Il Woo Jeong, Jee Hyun An, Sin Gon Kim, Dong Seop Choi, Nam Hoon Kim; Yeungnam Univ J Med. 2015;32(2):138-142. Published online December 31, 2015; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2015.32.2.138

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Abstract PDF: L-thyroxine (LT4) withdrawal prior to radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation therapy is a commonly used method for successful treatment of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). However, a prolonged period of hypothyroidism induced by LT4 withdrawal is sometimes associated with impaired quality of life and cardiopulmonary dysfunction in PTC patients. Furthermore, LT4 withdrawal may have a trophic effect on residual cancer by means of increased thyrotropin. We report on 2 cases of metastatic PTC patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) whose disease showed rapid worsening after LT4 withdrawal and RAI therapy. The first case is a 65-year-old woman who had PTC with multiple distant metastases and MPE. During LT4 withdrawal for RAI therapy, MPE showed rapid worsening, and the patient required repetitive therapeutic thoracentesis. The second case is a 49-year-old woman with PTC who underwent 3 additional operations for cancer recurrence in the neck lymph nodes and 6 times of RAI treatments. While preparing for the 7th RAI treatment by withdrawing LT4, she developed MPE which became progressively aggravated after RAI therapy. Both patients experienced increased pleural effusion during the LT4 withdrawal period and a rise in the thyroglobulin level was observed after RAI therapy. MPE was not controlled with therapeutic thoracentesis and pleurodesis. Eventually, both patients died of rapid disease progression after RAI therapy. In summary, LT4 withdrawal may have an adverse effect on metastatic PTC patients, particularly those with MPE.

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