A 77-year-old woman successfully treated for dual malignancy, breast and thyroid carcinoma.

About The Patient and Condition

A 77-year-old woman presented at Apollomedics Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow with a left breast lump for past 2 months. She did not have any other symptoms.

Case Scenario

On examination, the breast lump was firm/hard in consistency. Patient was a known hypertensive, diabetic, with an immunological disorder and Coronary artery disease on medications. The breast lump was biopsied and it was diagnosed as invasive breast carcinoma. On metastatic work up (PET CT), a small 2 cm ill-defined lesion was identified on right thyroid gland. FNAC of the thyroid lesion suggested high risk of malignancy (Bethesda III). Patient’s attendants were counselled regarding the possibility of dual malignancy (two totally different malignancies happening in the same individual).

Tumor board discussion was done and it was decided to perform simultaneous resection of breast and thyroid cancer. Appropriate counselling was given to the patient and her family and they were educated about the importance of surgery, despite her age (77 years) and multiple comorbidities. Patient underwent Left Modified Radical Mastectomy and Right Hemithyroidectomy in the same setting. Post-OP, HPE confirmed the presence of two different malignancies – breast (invasive ductal cancer) and thyroid (Papillary thyroid cancer). Patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged on post-operative day 3.

Worldwide Scenario

Breast carcinoma and thyroid carcinoma are the two most common malignancies that occur in women. However, synchronous primary tumors (both tumors diagnosed at same time) of the thyroid and breast are very rare in clinical practice and even fewer cases have been reported in age > 75 years. Despite two cancers happening in same patient, the prognosis is usually good, due to its strong hormone positivity.

Expertise at Apollo Hospitals

The Institute of Oncology at Apollomedics Super Speciality Hospital brings in high-end technologies and highly skilled doctors under one roof. Dr. Sathish Kumar Anandan, Consultant Surgical Oncology at Apollomedics Super Speciality Hospital, Lucknow has expertise in treating all sorts of Cancers, including Head & Neck, Gastrointestinal, Breast, Gynaecological, Urological and Peritoneal cancers.

Apollo Hospitals – Touching Lives

This case is a testament that at Apollomedics Super Speciality Hospital, a multidisciplinary group of specialists consisting of highly experienced medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists etc. come together to discuss complex cases in the Tumor board and determine the best possible treatment for the patient.

Patient’s Testimonial

The patient said, “He is the best and youngest doctor I have ever met, His way of handling the patient is really commendable, He has performed the surgery to the best of our satisfaction. May God Bless Dr. Satish and best wishes for his future.”