Unusual Soft Tissue and Muscle Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Insights from 131I Scintigraphy and 18F-FDG PET/CT
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11 November 2025

Unusual Soft Tissue and Muscle Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Insights from 131I Scintigraphy and 18F-FDG PET/CT

Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. Published online 11 November 2025.
1. Hospital Kuala Lumpur Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 05.04.2025
Accepted Date: 27.07.2025
E-Pub Date: 11.11.2025
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Abstract

Distant metastases from well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma typically involve the lungs and bones. We report a rare case of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma presenting as soft tissue lesion, detected by Iodine-131 whole-body scintigraphy in a 44-year-old asymptomatic male. The patient had previously undergone a total thyroidectomy and bilateral modified radical neck dissection, receiving radioiodine for pT3bN1bMx multifocal classical papillary thyroid carcinoma. Further evaluation with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography revealed additional sites of soft tissue and muscle metastasis, along with extensive nodal, lung, and skeletal involvement. These findings indicated advanced disease with a poor prognosis, necessitating a change in the treatment plan.

Keywords:
Iodine-131, thyroid cancer, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography, soft tissue metastasis, muscle metastasis

Ethics

Informed Consent: The patient provided written informed consent.

Authorship Contributions

Surgical and Medical Practices: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H., Concept: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H., Design: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H., Data Collection or Processing: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H., Analysis or Interpretation: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H., Literature Search: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H., Writing: M.F.M.R., S.Z.A.H.
Conflict of Interest: No conflicts of interest were declared by the authors.
Financial Disclosure: The authors declare that this study has received no financial support.

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