Importance of Frozen Section in the Accurate Diagnosis of a Space Occupying Lesion in a 59 Year Old Female Patient - A Case Report

Follicular thyroid carcinoma is a well-differentiated form of thyroid cancer that primarily spreads through the bloodstream to distant organs such as the lungs, brain, and lymph nodes. Although distant metastases in follicular thyroid carcinoma are relatively common to these sites, metastasis to the skull is uncommon, its incidence being 2.5–5.8%. Furthermore, their clinical presentation as a brain tumour is a very rare clinical scenario, it’s an incidence being 1%. This case report of a 55-year-old female presenting with occipital headache highlights the importance of considering thyroid carcinoma in the differential diagnosis when evaluating space-occupying lesions (SOLs) of the brain. A frozen section proved to be diagnostic, which showed numerous follicles invading into the bone. A subsequent FNAC of the thyroid confirmed the diagnosis. This case also highlights the importance of recognizing atypical presentations of thyroid carcinoma, which need to be kept in mind for appropriate diagnosis and optimum treatment, and, hence, avoiding exhaustive complicated procedures.