18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of tumor thrombus from anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in a young boy

Abstract

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is an uncommon, highly aggressive malignancy usually presenting in the elderly. An eighteen year old boy was recently diagnosed as anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid. PET/CECT scan performed for staging, revealed a large FDG avid heterogeneously enhancing thyroid mass with bilateral jugular venous thrombosis, which also showed increased FDG uptake, thus pointing towards tumor thrombus. To our knowledge, this is the first case wherein the PET/CT diagnosis of tumor thrombosis from anaplastic thyroid carcinoma was made in a young patient.