Report on a patient in whom an extensively metastasizing medullary carcinoma of the
thyroid was diagnosed at the age of 32 years. Noteworthy in her case history were
watery diarrheas that had persisted for two years, suggesting that the medullary thyroid
carcinoma had already existed for some time. Besides locoregional lymph node metastases,
small foci of diffuse pulmonary metastases with lymphangitis carcinomatosa as well
as osteoblastic skeletal metastases were present and intramammary metastases were
detected later. The patient died from bilateral pleuropneumonia with empyema formation
at the age of 47 years after an observation period of 15 years. During that period,
no major changes in the pattern of metastatic spread were observed and one may therefore
speak of “dormant” metastases in this case, although some manifestations showed increases
and decreases in size.
Medullary thyroid carcinoma - Dormant metastases - Diarrhea
