Thyroid cancer management — MCQs

A 36-year-old woman comes to the physician for a follow-up visit after she had a PET scan that showed a nodule on the thyroid gland. She has no difficulty or pain while swallowing. She was treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 28 years, which included external beam radiation to the head and neck and 4 cycles of chemotherapy. She appears healthy. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Serum studies show: Glucose 82 mg/dL Creatinine 0.7 mg/dL Thyroid-stimulating hormone 3 μU/mL Ultrasound of the neck shows a 1.2-cm (0.5-in) nodule on the left lobe of the thyroid with irregular margins and microcalcifications. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy shows Psammoma bodies and cells with clear, ground-glass, empty nuclei. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 25-year-old man presents with a mass on his neck. He says that he first noticed the mass a few weeks ago while taking a shower. Since then, the mass has not increased in size. He denies any pain or difficulty in swallowing. Past medical history is unremarkable. Family history is significant for his father who had his thyroid removed when he was around his age but doesn’t know why. Review of systems is significant for occasional episodes of anxiety that include a pounding headache, racing heart, and sweating. His vital signs include: pulse 88/min, blood pressure 133/87 mm Hg, temperature 37.2°C (99.0°F), and respiratory rate 14/min. He is 183 cm (6 ft 2 in) tall with long extremities. On physical examination, the patient appears cachectic. There is a palpable 4 cm x 4 cm nodule present on the left lobe of the thyroid. Which of the following is the most likely thyroid pathology in this patient?

A 74-year-old retired female teacher is referred to the endocrinology clinic. She is very concerned about a large mass in her neck that has progressively enlarged over the past 2 weeks. She also reports a 15 pound weight loss over the last 3 months. She now has hoarseness and difficulty swallowing her food, giving her a sensation that food gets stuck in her windpipe when she swallows. There is no pain associated with swallowing. Her speech is monotonous. No other gait or language articulation problems are noted. Testing for cranial nerve lesions is unremarkable. On palpation, a large, fixed and non-tender mass in the thyroid is noted. Cervical lymph nodes are palpable bilaterally. The patient is urgently scheduled for an ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration to guide management. Which of the following is the most likely gene mutation to be found in this mass?

A 47-year-old woman presents to the clinic complaining of difficulty swallowing that started 1 month ago. The patient also reports a weight loss of 10 lbs during this time, without a change in her appetite. She denies fatigue, cough, hoarseness, pain, or hemoptysis. The patient has a history of childhood lymphoma, which was treated with radiation. She takes no medications. She has smoked 1 pack of cigarettes per day since she was 25 years old. Her physical exam is notable for a palpable nodule on the right side of the thyroid. An ultrasound is performed, which confirms a 1.2 cm hyperechoic nodule in the right lobe. Thyroid function labs are drawn and shown below: Serum TSH: 0.2 mU/L Serum thyroxine (T4): 187 nmol/L Serum triiodothyronine (T3): 3.3 nmol/L Which of the following is the next best step in management?

A 38-year-old woman undergoes hemithyroidectomy for treatment of localized, well-differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma. The lesion is removed with clear margins. However, during the surgery, a structure lying directly adjacent to the superior thyroid artery at the upper pole of the thyroid lobe is damaged. This patient is most likely to experience which of the following symptoms?

A 30-year-old woman is brought to the urgent care clinic by her husband. She complains of numbness around her lips and a tingling sensation in her hands and feet. She underwent near-total thyroidectomy for an enlarged thyroid gland a month ago. Vital signs include: blood pressure is 130/70 mm Hg, pulse is 72/min, respiratory rate is 16/min, and temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F). A surgical incision scar is present in the anterior aspect of the neck. The attending physician inflates the blood pressure cuff above 150 mm Hg and observes the patient a couple of minutes while measuring her blood pressure. The patient develops sudden stiffness and tingling in her hand. Blood test results are as follows: Hemoglobin (Hb%) 10.2 g/dL White blood cell count 7000/mm3 Platelet count 160,000/mm3 Calcium, serum (Ca2+) 6.0 mg/dL Albumin 4 g/dL Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum 15 U/L Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum 8 U/L Serum creatinine 0.5 mg/dL Urea 27 mg/dL Sodium 137 mEq/L Potassium 4.5 mEq/L Magnesium 2.5 mEq/L Urinalysis shows no white or red blood cells and leukocyte esterase is negative. Which of the following is the next best step in the management of this patient?

A 55-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 4-month history of a painless lump on her neck. Examination shows a hard nodule on the left side of her neck. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy shows well-differentiated cuboidal cells arranged spherically around colloid. She undergoes thyroidectomy. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen shows invasion of the thyroid capsule and blood vessels. Which of the following cellular events is most likely involved in the pathogenesis of this patient's condition?

A 40-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 3-month history of a lump on her neck. The lump is mildly painful. She appears healthy. Examination shows a swelling on the left side of her neck that moves on swallowing. Cardiopulmonary examination shows no abnormalities. Her TSH is 3.6 μU/mL. Ultrasound shows a 4.0-cm (1.6-in) hypoechoic mass in the left thyroid lobe. Fine-needle aspiration of the mass shows neoplastic follicular cells. Molecular analysis of the aspirate shows a mutation in the RAS gene. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

Three hours after undergoing a total right hip replacement, a 71-year-old woman has tingling around the lips and numbness in her fingertips. Her surgery was complicated by unintentional laceration of the right femoral artery that resulted in profuse bleeding. She appears uncomfortable. Examination shows an adducted thumb, extended fingers, and flexed metacarpophalangeal joints and wrists. Tapping on the cheeks leads to contraction of the facial muscles. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?

An obese 52-year-old man is brought to the emergency department because of increasing shortness of breath for the past 8 hours. Two months ago, he noticed a mass on the right side of his neck and was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. He has smoked two packs of cigarettes daily for 27 years. He drinks two pints of rum daily. He appears ill. He is oriented to person, place, and time. His temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 111/min, respirations are 34/min, and blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg. Pulse oximetry on room air shows an oxygen saturation of 89%. Examination shows a 9-cm, tender, firm subglottic mass on the right side of the neck. Cervical lymphadenopathy is present. His breathing is labored and he has audible inspiratory stridor but is able to answer questions. The lungs are clear to auscultation. Arterial blood gas analysis on room air shows: pH 7.36 PCO2 45 mm Hg PO2 74 mm Hg HCO3- 25 mEq/L He has no advanced directive. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?