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Case Report

Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report

  • Authors:
    • Cuicui Wang
    • Yihang Yang
    • Liquan Bi
    • Xiaohong Liu
  • View Affiliations / Copyright

    Affiliations: Department of Pathology, The 960 Hospital of The Chinese People's Liberation Army, Jinan, Shandong 250031, P.R. China
  • Article Number: 87
    |
    Published online on: December 23, 2025
       https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15440
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Abstract

Cancer‑to‑cancer metastasis is uncommon. The present study describes a case in which lung adenocarcinoma (LC) metastasized to follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). A 46‑year‑old Chinese woman exhibited a solid carcinoma (~60x40 mm) that nearly replaced the entire thyroid tissue of the left lobe, along with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in the right lobe. The initial clinical manifestation appeared as a thyroid neoplasm. Histological examination revealed two admixed components within the neoplasm of the left lobe: FTC and an adenocarcinoma component. The mutational profile of LC was analyzed using next‑generation sequencing, revealing an epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutation at exon 21 (L858R) in the LC tissue. Differentiating between two tumor populations can be challenging when donor tumor cells closely resemble primary neoplasms of the recipient organ. Beyond detailed morphological evaluation, ancillary approaches, such as immunohistochemistry and molecular testing, are essential to detect tumor‑specific markers. Moreover, the degree of cell differentiation is an important determinant in diagnosing cancer‑to‑cancer metastasis. The present study discusses differences in tumor cell morphology and their diagnostic relevance in relation to previous reports, clinical history, histopathology and molecular pathology. The observations may contribute to improving diagnostic precision in cancer‑to‑cancer metastasis.
View Figures

Figure 1

Microscopic examination of the
recipient thyroid lesion. (A) Carcinoma was surrounded by a
thickened fibrous capsule with neoplastic cells infiltrated the
capsule and a focal area of penetration was identified after serial
sectioning (black arrow) (H&E stain; magnification, ×20). (B)
Morphologically distinct components of carcinoma labeled as T1
(thick black arrow), T2 (inside the black line) and T3 (thin black
arrow) (H&E stain; magnification, ×20). (C) The T1 component
revealed the follicular pattern features with medium size and a
variable amount of colloid in the follicles when examined at a
higher power, (H&E stain; magnification, ×200). (D) The T2
component revealed solid, trabecular or nested growth pattern and
little colloid in the follicles when examined at a higher power
(H&E stain; magnification, ×200). (E) T3 component revealed
glandular, papillary and hobnail pattern (black arrow) when
examined at a higher power (H&E stain; magnification, ×200).
(F) The T3 component revealed nuclear pleomorphism, conspicuous
nucleoli (white arrow) and the mitotic figures (black arrow) were
common (H&E stain; magnification, ×400). H&E, hematoxylin
and eosin.

Figure 2

Immunohistochemistry examination of
the three morphologically distinct components of carcinoma. (A)
Both the T1 and T2 component weakly expressed CK19, whereas the T3
component was strong positive (magnification, ×20). (B) Both the T1
and T2 component expressed CD56, whereas the T3 component was
negative (magnification, ×20). (C) Both the T1 and T2 component
expressed TG, whereas the T3 component was negative (magnification,
×20). (D) Both the T1 and T2 component strong expressed PAX8,
whereas the T3 component was negative (magnification, ×20). (E)
Both the T1 and T2 component was negative for Napsin-A, whereas the
T3 component was strong positive (magnification, ×20). (F) The
Ki-67 index was significantly higher in the T3 component than in
the T1 and T2 component (magnification, ×20). CK19, cytokeratin 19;
CD56, cluster of differentiation 56; PAX8, paired box gene 8.
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Copy and paste a formatted citation
Spandidos Publications style
Wang C, Yang Y, Bi L and Liu X: Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report. Oncol Lett 31: 87, 2026.
APA
Wang, C., Yang, Y., Bi, L., & Liu, X. (2026). Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report. Oncology Letters, 31, 87. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15440
MLA
Wang, C., Yang, Y., Bi, L., Liu, X."Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report". Oncology Letters 31.2 (2026): 87.
Chicago
Wang, C., Yang, Y., Bi, L., Liu, X."Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report". Oncology Letters 31, no. 2 (2026): 87. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15440
Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Wang C, Yang Y, Bi L and Liu X: Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report. Oncol Lett 31: 87, 2026.
APA
Wang, C., Yang, Y., Bi, L., & Liu, X. (2026). Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report. Oncology Letters, 31, 87. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15440
MLA
Wang, C., Yang, Y., Bi, L., Liu, X."Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report". Oncology Letters 31.2 (2026): 87.
Chicago
Wang, C., Yang, Y., Bi, L., Liu, X."Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma to follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma in the contralateral lobe: A case report". Oncology Letters 31, no. 2 (2026): 87. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15440
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