Occult thyroid metastasis from untreated uveal melanoma

G. Gherardi, P. Scherini and S. Ambrosi

A localized and asymptomatic metastasis from an untreated choroidal melanoma developed in the thyroid and was incidentally discovered by fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Since metastases from uveal melanoma usually are absent at the time of clinical diagnosis but occur much later in highly predictable sites, the finding of a distant blood-borne metastasis in such an early phase and in the thyroid is very unusual, as illustrated by a review of the literature.