Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a pregnant patient: a case report

Abstract

A 36-year-old woman was admitted to our center because of suspicion of an aggressive thyroid malignancy during pregnancy. After the diagnosis of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma was confirmed by additional histological evaluation, she underwent total thyroidectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy. After radiotherapy, she gave birth to a healthy child. The patient developed a solitary muscle metastasis in the left upper leg, six months after total thyroidectomy. Systemic therapy was started with the multikinase inhibitor lenvatinib. Although the metastasis showed response to the treatment, the patient developed a defect of the proximal trachea, ultimately leading to a fatal carotid blowout. This case is the first reported patient with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma during pregnancy, underlining the clinical and ethical challenges during pregnancy in patients with aggressive malignancies and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. Antiangiogenic multikinase inhibitors can induce severe recall toxicities after irradiation.