Riedel's Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis 157
157
Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine,
Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania Medical Center,
Philadelphia, PA.
Address correspondence
to Dr. Zubair W. Baloch,
Department of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine,
6 Founders Pavilion, Hospital
of the University of Penn-
sylvania Medical Center,
3400 Spruce Street, Philadel-
phia, PA 19104. E-mail:
baloch@mail.med.upenn.edu
Endocrine Pathology, vol. 11,
no. 2, 157–163, Summer
2000
© Copyright 2000 by Humana
Press Inc. All rights of any
nature whatsoever reserved.
1046–3976/00/11:157–163/
$11.75
Introduction
Both benign and malignant lesions of the
thyroid can be associated with extensive scle-
rosis. Fibrosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and
Riedel’s disease are among the benign lesions
[1–9], whereas, in malignant lesions, papil-
lary carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma can
exhibit acellular or paucicellular areas of
hyalinization [10,11].
Fibrosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is seen
in 10–13% of patients diagnosed as having
lymphocytic thyroiditis [3,6–8,12]. It is
characterized by effacement of the thyroid
by fibrous bands with intermixed collec-
Combined Riedel’s Disease and Fibrosing Hashimoto’s
Thyroiditis: A Report of Three Cases with Two Showing
Coexisting Papillary Carcinoma
Zubair W. Baloch, MD, PHD, Michael D. Feldman, MD, PHD,
and Virginia A. LiVolsi, MD
Abstract
Extensive sclerosis of the thyroid gland can be seen in both benign and malignant condi-
tions. The benign sclerosing lesions of the thyroid include Riedel’s disease and fibrosing
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Although these conditions usually occur separately, rarely can
they occur simultaneously. In malignant lesions, papillary thyroid carcinoma and anaplas-
tic carcinoma of the thyroid can be associated with extensive sclerosis leading to partial
or total effacement of the tumor. We report on three cases that showed simultaneous
occurrence of Riedel’s disease and fibrosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Two of these cases
also showed papillary carcinoma (one case of Warthin’s-like papillary carcinoma and one
case of classic type). All patients were females (age range 32–67 yr) and presented with
elevated antithyroglobulin antibodies. Two patients presented with a solitary thyroid
mass, and from these one had multiple bilateral neck nodes and a paravertebral mass.
The third patient presented with a multinodular gland adherent to neck structures. All
patients underwent total thyroidectomy. Histologic sections showed extensive replace-
ment of the thyroid parenchyma with dense keloidal fibrosis, intermixed well-developed
lymphoid follicles, and scattered lymphocytes and plasma cells. In all cases the fibrotic
process extended beyond thyroid capsule with involvement of the perithyroidal soft tis-
sues and skeletal muscle consistent with Riedel’s disease. One case showed a classic pap-
illary carcinoma with bilateral lymph node metastases, and the other showed a
Warthin’s-like papillary carcinoma. In both cases the papillary cancers were surrounded
by dense sclerosis. Immunohistochemical stains for B- and T-markers and immunoglobu-
lin light chains showed a polyclonal population of the lymphoid cells. The simultaneous
occurrence of Riedel’s disease and fibrosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is rare and most likely
represents a coincidental phenomenon, because both of these conditions are distinct
clinicopathologic entities.
Key Words: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; Riedel’s disease; thyroid sclerosis.
Clinical Research