Lung cancer with thyroid and colon metastases: a report of two cases

Abstract

Abstract Background Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. It frequently metastasizes to bone, brain, lung, and liver, causing a shorter survival. Unusual metastasis also occurs. A few reports have been published, and the majority of described metastatic sites involved the gastrointestinal system and, occasionally, the thyroid gland. Gastrointestinal metastasis from primary lung cancer is rare; however, metastasis to the gastrointestinal tract as an event is frequent. However, distant metastasis to the thyroid gland is a rare event for all types of tumors. Case presentation In the present study, we report two cases of primary lung carcinoma with isolated colonic and thyroid metastases. The first one was a patient with lung cancer who presented with an acute abdomen and underwent right hemicolectomy, which revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of lung origin. The second one was a patient who presented with thyroid swelling that was preoperatively diagnosed as a metastatic thyroid carcinoma to the lung. So, the patient underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral neck dissection. But the microscopic examination showed a picture of metastatic adenocarcinoma with mucoid activity, which was of pulmonary origin. Conclusion Thyroid and gastrointestinal metastases from lung cancer are rare, but they should be put into consideration. Clinical and radiologic evaluations are mandatory to help reach the diagnosis, but pathologic confirmation is inevitable.