Etymed
thyroid carcinoma
Definition
malignant tumor arising from thyroid gland tissue
Clinical context
A 52-year-old woman presents with a rapidly growing neck mass and hoarseness that developed over 6 weeks. Physical examination reveals a firm, fixed mass in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy shows malignant cells with psammoma bodies. The patient undergoes total thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection. Histopathology confirms papillary carcinoma, the most common type of thyroid malignancy. The prognosis is generally favorable with early detection and appropriate treatment.
Mnemonic
Papillary carcinoma - 'Papillary' = 'Paper' = 'Pepper' (spreading like paper fragments) or 'Papillary' = 'Papillary' (with characteristic psammoma bodies)