Skull metastasis revealing a papillary thyroid carcinoma

Although thyroid carcinoma is a relatively common form of malignancy, metastatic spread to the skull is rare. Here, we report a case of papillary thyroid carcinoma with frontal and parietal metastasis. A 61-year-old Chinese woman presented with a one year history of a growing mass on the center of the frontal and parietal bone, initially thought to be meningioma. Biopsy of the skull base mass after intracalvarium excision, indicated a tumor of thyroid origin. One month later the patient underwent a total thyroidectomy. Pathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma with frontal and parietal bone metastasis. Based on this experience, the key to successful management of the skull metastasis of thyroid carcinoma is prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Skull metastasis should be considered at the outset of the clinical course of papillary thyroid cancer. To facilitate this, patients should be meticulously investigated by a multidisciplinary team to improve quality of life.