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Chapter 15
Primary Care Otolaryngology
Lymphoma
Thyroid lymphoma is a rapidly growing tumor, which frequently compro-
mises the airway and clinically resembles anaplastic carcinoma. Lymphomas
may arise in patients with a background of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an auto-
immune condition characterized by lymphocytic infiltration, but that’s a
very uncommon correlation. Thyroid lymphomas are most commonly
B-cell. A rapid diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapy are neces-
sary to prevent airway obstruction. Treatment and cure are usually achieved
by using a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
This brief discussion on thyroid cancer does not include a discourse on
surgery of the thyroid gland. This would include such subjects as surgery
for hyperthyroidism, which can occur with a toxic nodular goiter and
Graves’ disease. These conditions can also be treated medically using
radioactive iodine-131, but further discussion is beyond the scope of this
book.