Ai MM, Lin T, Guo RY, Zhang YY, Yu F. Unexpected metastasis of thyroid cartilage involvement from lung adenocarcinoma: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(25): 107471 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i25.107471]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Mao-Mao Ai, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou Red Gross Hospital, No. 396 Tongfu Middle Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510220, Guangdong Province, China. maomao6678@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Unexpected metastasis of thyroid cartilage involvement from lung adenocarcinoma: A case report
Mao-Mao Ai, Tao Lin, Ruo-Yu Guo, Ying-Ying Zhang, Feng Yu
Mao-Mao Ai, Tao Lin, Ruo-Yu Guo, Ying-Ying Zhang, Feng Yu, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou Red Gross Hospital, Guangzhou 510220, Guangdong Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Mao-Mao Ai and Feng Yu.
Author contributions: Ai MM contributed to writing-original draft and funding acquisition; Lin T, Guo RY, and Zhang YY contributed to formal analysis and data curation; Yu F contributed to writing-review and editing. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Science and Technology Projects in Guangzhou, No. 2024A03J0563 and No. 2023A03J0521.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mao-Mao Ai, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Guangzhou Red Gross Hospital, No. 396 Tongfu Middle Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510220, Guangdong Province, China. maomao6678@126.com
Received: March 25, 2025 Revised: April 22, 2025 Accepted: May 24, 2025 Published online: September 6, 2025 Processing time: 104 Days and 21.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Thyroid cartilage noncontiguous metastatic involvement is an extremely rare entity due to the absence of vessels within the cartilaginous tissue. A literature review revealed that metastasis from lung cancer is even rarer.
CASE SUMMARY
A 51-year-old male smoker presented with progressive, painful left upper neck lumps for 8 months, accompanied by 10 kg weight loss, poor appetite, and mentation. He had a 30-year history of chronic alcohol use. Following comprehensive imaging studies and pathological examinations, we have identified metastatic lung adenocarcinoma with widespread dissemination to multiple sites including the thyroid cartilage. The final diagnosis is: Lung adenocarcinoma (pT3N3M1c, Stage IVb), epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (p.E746_S752delinsV). After multidisciplinary team discussion, the patient was initiated on targeted therapy with gefitinib (250 mg/day). At 6-month follow-up, the patient has shown significant clinical improvement with marked reduction in subcutaneous masses in both the cervical and abdominal regions.
CONCLUSION
Monitor for uncommon thyroid cartilage noncontiguous metastases; early detection improves outcomes.
Core Tip: This rare case documents thyroid cartilage metastasis from an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung adenocarcinoma (p.E746_S752delinsV) in a 51-year-old smoker. Despite the avascular nature of cartilaginous tissue, the patient presented with neck masses, weight loss, and widespread metastases (pT3N3M1c, stage IVB). First-line gefitinib achieved remarkable regression of cervical, abdominal subcutaneous, and oropharyngeal lesions at 6 months. Key highlights: (1) Thyroid cartilage metastasis, though exceptionally rare, warrants vigilance in lung cancer; (2) EGFR targeting remains effective even in unusual metastatic patterns; and (3) Multidisciplinary management optimizes outcomes. Early molecular testing is critical for tailored therapy.
