Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is a common thyroid
malignancy with a relatively good prognosis. However, distant
metastases may develop and become threatening, particularly to older patients, in a more aggressive manner. We report herein the clinical, radiological, and pathological findings of a patient with
papillary thyroid carcinoma who had a solitary cerebral
metastasis. The patient had been suffering from depression and had already undergone a hemithyroidectomy for primary
thyroid carcinoma, and was known to have metastatic
thyroid carcinoma of the lungs and bone. After the removal of the remnant thyroid gland prior to radioiodine (131I)
therapy, he developed additional problems related to depression. Electroencephalography played an important role in identifying suspected brain
metastasis and computed tomography demonstrated a space-occupying lesion in the left cerebral hemisphere. Consequently, an early removal of intracranial mass could be performed without any further life-threatening complications. Moreover, after removal of the brain mass the patient's depression improved immediately without the use of any
antidepressants. This case report indicates the possibility that a patient's depression might be associated with brain
metastasis from
papillary thyroid carcinoma, and also suggests that an early diagnosis with the appropriate surgical management of a brain
metastasis followed by radioiodine
therapy could be valuable for achieving a prolonged disease-free period.