Thyroid metastasis of malignant melanoma

Abstract

Clinically significant metastases to the thyroid gland are very rare; however, they can present as the initial malignancy. The authors report a 53-year-old man who underwent surgery for malignant melanoma 5 years earlier, and recently presented with a thyroid nodule that turned out to be a metastasis of the primary malignancy. Fine-needle aspiration showed malignant cells, but was unable to indicate that their origin was malignant melanoma. Total thyroidectomy was the therapy chosen for the patient.