Tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma with foci of columnar cell component.

We report a case of the tall call variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma with foci of columnar cell component in a 67-year-old Japanese man. Tall cell variant occupied more than 70% of the tumour, and columnar cell component was of two types in representative sections. One showed striking stratification of nuclei with scanty cytoplasm, and the other appeared clear. Characteristic nuclear features of papillary carcinoma were also observed in the area of the tall cell variant. The patient died of the thyroid cancer with aspiration pneumonia 10 years and 6 months after operation. Although autopsy was not performed, metastatic lymph nodes of the neck removed during life also showed papillary carcinoma with both tall cell and columnar cell components. Our case indicates that tall cell and columnar cell variants may coexist in the same tumour although the pathogenesis remains unclear.