Abstract
We report on two cases of anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid believed to be due to anaplastic transformation.
One case was a 60-year-old man who had a recurrence in the neck after operation for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. A tumor appeared in the parapharyngeal space. The tumor was non-resectable, since it adhered firmly to the anterior surface of the vertebra. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were performed without success. The tumor kept on growing. With progressing cachexia, the patient eventually died.
The other case was a 76-year-old woman in whom a goiter, considered a differentiated carcinoma and followed for about 25 years, began to grow rapidly. Histopathological examination revealed a pattern which was suggestive of anaplastic transformation. The tumor infiltrating into the trachea blocked the airway, leading to dyspnea. Therefore a tracheotomy was performed. Since a radical operation was impossible, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered without effect. The tumor kept on growing. The patient later developed pneumonia, and eventually died of respiratory insufficiency.
Multidisciplinary therapy was administered in both cases, but it was not effective, and both diseases pregressed rapidly to their termination.
