• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.179-184
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• 1999

The columnar cell variant of papillary carcinoma is a rare tumor of the thyroid, associated with aggressive behavior, early metastasis, and a rapidly fatal course. We present the fine needle aspiration cytologic(FNAC) findings of columnar ceil variant of papillary carcinoma with cytohistologic correlation. In the smears, the tumor fragments showed mainly papillary pattern and a few scattered individual cells were present around the papillary fragments. The tumor cells were columnar or cuboidal and exhibited pseudostratification of the nuclei. The nuclei were oval to elongated with finely stippled chromatin and inconspicous nucleoli. Neither nuclear grooves nor intracytoplasmic inclusion was found. The FNAC diagnosis was consistent with papillary carcinoma. Total thyroidectomy was done and the histologic finding of the mass showed a predominantly papillary and focal solid proliferation of columar cells with marked nuclear pseudostratification. The unique histopathologic features and highly aggressive nature of columnar ceil variant of papillary carcinoma require that this variant should be differeniated from common papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.

• Journal of Clinical Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.281-285
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• 2018

Columnar cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (CCV-PTC) is a rare variant representing 0.15-0.2% of all PTCs. The CCV is aggressive, due to its rapid growth, high local recurrence rate, and frequent lung, brain and bone metastasis. Aggressive surgical and medical management are recommended for these neoplasias. The authors experienced a case of CCV-PTC in a 45-year-old man. We performed total thyroidectomy with neck dissection. The patient received radiation and radioactive iodine therapy. There were no recurrences or complications in the following 24 months after the operation. The patient will closely undergo continuous follow up. We present the clinical characteristics, pathology, treatment, and prognosis of the tumor with a review of the literature.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.76-80
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• 1998

Generally, the papillary carcinoma generally has a favorable prognosis, and several variants of pathologic heterogeneity are recognized. Variants that are regarded as more aggressive are tall cell, columnar cell, and diffuse sclerosing types. Seventeen cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma showing clinically aggressive behavior, invading extrathyroidal structures, were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the morphological variants of the tumors. Six of them were found to be pure papillary and nine were mixed types regarded as non-aggressive variants. Four cases were found to be tall cell variants, two cases of non-extrathryoidal invasion and two of extrathyroidal invasion regarded as aggressive variants. Our findings suggest that the prognosis of papillary carcinoma not always be based on its morphological variant and more attention should be given to other clinical parameters.