Primary Extra-Osseous Ewing Sarcoma of the Thyroid: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Head Neck Pathol. 2022 Jun;16(2):581-586. doi: 10.1007/s12105-021-01365-x. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Abstract

Extra-osseous Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor found in a variety of organs. Primary ES of the thyroid is exceedingly rare and few cases have been documented to date. We describe the case of a 54-year old woman with a history of breast carcinoma in whom a unique hypermetabolic left thyroid nodule was identified during a follow-up PET-CT scan. An ultrasound examination showed a hypoechogenic nodule of 3.7 cm. A cytological diagnosis of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma was made, and a total thyroidectomy was performed. The surgical specimen revealed a poorly differentiated neoplasm composed of medium-sized cells with scant cytoplasm, expressing pancytokeratin, CD99 and NKX2.2 but lacking p63 and p40 expression. Molecular analysis revealed a EWSR1-FLI1 fusion transcript supporting the diagnosis of a primary extra-osseous ES of the thyroid. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and has no evidence of recurrent disease.

Keywords: Cyto-histological correlation; Extra-osseous Ewing sarcoma; Molecular analysis; Thyroid gland.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
  • Sarcoma, Ewing* / pathology
  • Thyroid Neoplasms* / pathology

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor