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Mesothelioma and Thyroid Cancer
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is difficult to treat. As it advances, it has a higher chance of causing cancerous growth on other organs, including the thyroid gland.
The Mayo Clinic[1] describes mesothelioma as, “an aggressive and deadly form of cancer.” It also notes that, “mesothelioma treatments are available, but for many people with mesothelioma, a cure isn’t possible.”
Occupational asbestos exposure is known to be the primary cause of mesothelioma[2].
When a cancer like mesothelioma is allowed to grow and develop, cancer cells may break off from the site of the initial tumor. They may then drift through the body’s blood or lymphatic system and reattach elsewhere. Then, the cancer cells could begin forming a new tumor on the site they attach to, creating what are known as “metastases[3].”
One of the reasons malignant mesothelioma is characterized as an aggressive form of cancer is because it has a high chance of metastasizing and a low chance of responding to treatment. According to one literature review, 87.7% of patients who passed away as a result of mesothelioma were found to have metastases in their postmortem examination[4].
The most common sites for mesothelioma to spread are the lungs, stomach lining (peritoneum), bones, and skin. Approxiamately 15% of mesothelioma cancers will metastasize to the visceral organs, while just 3% will spread to the brain and other central nervous system organs[5].
Other forms of distant spread for mesothelial cancers are rare, and they can typically go undiagnosed until autopsy[6].
However, a number of cases have noted that mesothelioma can spread to the thyroid. One such case describes a 69 year-old man who was thought to be in remission for pleural mesothelioma after surgical removal of affected lung tissue. Routine check-ups revealed metastases to the left lung and thyroid[7].
Another case describes a 57 year old woman with a history of multiple cancer types, leading researchers to suspect she had a genetic anomaly that contributed to her conditions[8].
Symptoms of thyroid cancer may also superficially resemble those of mesothelioma, including difficulty swallowing, trouble breathing, and hoarseness[9].
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mesothelioma/symptoms-causes/syc-20375022
[2] https://medlineplus.gov/mesothelioma.html
[3] https://www.cancer.gov/types/metastatic-cancer
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4246255/
[5] https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2017.35.15_suppl.8556
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452336417300560
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4058903/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29518763
[9] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thyroid-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20354161
