Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid with osteoclast-like giant cells

Abstract

An unusual malignant thyroid neoplasm with a morphologic resemblance to giant cell tumor of the bone is reported in a patient who presented with a rapidly growing thyroid mass and a history of pre-existing goiter. The light and electron microscopic studies disclosed areas of differentiated follicular carcinoma with gradual transition to undifferentiated carcinoma. Pleomorphic spindle-shaped cells and giant cells were accompanied by numerous osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells. Desmosomes and interdigitating cell surfaces were apparent in the differentiated as well as undifferentiated areas on electron microscopy. These findings support an epithelial rather than a mesenchymal origin for this neoplasm.

Benign tumors of the breast with multinucleated stromal giant cells

“…Osteoclast-like giant cells are a rare finding in poorly differentiated or metaplastic carcinomas of breast, thyroid, pancreas, and other organs [5,8,13,15,22,24,29]. They most likely represent reactive stromal elements of histiocytic origin, microscopically indistinguishable from true osteoclasts.…”

Malignant osteoclastoma‐like giant cell tumour of the renal pelvis

“…Frequently these tumours have included a conventional carcinomatous element (Table 1) and therefore it has been suggested that the mesenchymal component is of Table 1 , Oyasu et al 1977, Posen 1981, Trepeta et al 1981, Esmaili et al 1983) although these observations do not exclude the possibility that the mesenchymal and epithelial components have a. separate origin, or that the epithelial component arises from the mesenchyme. However, the last possibility seems a distinctly unlikely explanation for the occurrence in our case of a giant cell tumour intimately associated with carcinoma in situ and, if this association is not mere coincidence, then it supports the concept of an epithelial derivation for osteoclastoma-like giant cell tumours.…”

Anaplastic carcinoma of thyroid: with osteoclast like giant cells: an extremely unusual finding in fine needle aspiration cytology

“…Giant cells of pleomorphic type is usually seen in conventional Anaplastic carcinoma and usually there are not so many osteoclast-like giant cells. 10 The multinucleated giant cells encountered in Benign nodular hyperplasia of the thyroid with cystic degeneration usually appears foamy which can be contrasted with the dense appearing cytoplasm in osteoclast like giant cells in anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid.…”