Nguyen Hau Xuan, Le Trinh Huy, Nguyen Hien Xuan, Nguyen Hung Van, Le Quang Van
Department of Oncology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Department of Oncology and Palliative Care, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Case Rep Endocrinol. 2021 Jan 29;2021:8823405. doi: 10.1155/2021/8823405. eCollection 2021.
Tracheal invasion in thyroid cancer occurs in one-third of locally advanced cases and is the third most common site of infiltration following strap muscles and recurrent laryngeal nerves. Surgical resection plays an important role in the management strategy followed by either radioactive iodine or external beam radiotherapy. Nonetheless, there has been still controversy about the optimal extension of the surgery. . Total thyroidectomy, airway resection and bilateral neck dissection were performed in two cases diagnosed as advanced thyroid cancer with tracheal invasion (stage IV according to McCaffrey). The first case underwent partial tracheal resection and direct anastomosis by the V-shape technique, while the latter one required tracheal resection and permanent tracheotomy. After one-year follow-up, no evidence of tumor recurrence or any postoperative complications were found.
Surgical resection still remains the mainstay of management for advanced thyroid cancer in general and for tracheal invasion cases in particular. The decision of surgical resection and tracheal reconstruction methods mostly depends on the extent of tracheal invasion.
