2010 Volume 56 Issue 6 Pages 243-248
Primary thyroid lymphoma is a rare disease, representing approximately 2-3% of all thyroid malignancies, and 1-2.5% of all lymphomas. It is frequently associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and is usually the non-Hodgkin type. The main symptom is rapidly growing goiter. This report presents three cases. The first case was an 86-year-old female who developed air-way obstruction and underwent an urgent tracheotomy. A part of thyroid tissue was taken for pathological examination. She was diagnosed to have thyroid lymphoma. Another case was a 55-year-old male who had a large thyroid tumor that strongly oppressed the trachea. A thyroid biopsy revealed lymphoma. The third case was 75-year-old male, that presented with dyspnea, underwent emergency surgery and was diagnosed with thyroid lymphoma. All three cases were successfully treated with chemotherapy. When a rapidly growing mass developed in thyroid, it is of particular importance to speculate lymphoma for proper diagnosis and treatment.
