PAPILLARY CARCINOMA OF THE THYROID-GLAND WITH FIBROMATOSIS-LIKE STROMA - A CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

A new case of a rare variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gla nd with fibromatosis-like stroma is reported. The patient was a 43-yr- old woman who had a well demarcated tumor that showed an expansive gro wth from the left thyroid lobe into perithyroidal soft tissues. Histol ogically, the tumor was composed predominantly of a fibromatosis-like stroma in which were diffusely dispersed small follicles of papillary carcinoma, At the advancing front of extrathyroidal extension of the t umor, fibromyxomatous changes of soft tissues were preceded by infiltr ation of the papillary carcinoma component. Immunohistochemistry and e lectron microscopy showed that the stromal cells had a myofibroblastic nature. One metastatically involved lymph node did not show fibromato sis-like stroma. The patient has remained well with no evidence of rec urrence for 1 yr.