Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma with Primary Site in Tonsil: Case Report
Fernando Augusto Pacífico
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Ismael Felipe Gonçalves Galvão *
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Marcio Handerson Benevides de Freitas
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Thiago José Monteiro Borges da Silva Valente
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Kaio Felipe da Silva Vicente
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
João Marcos da Silva Dantas
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Luciana Maria Queiroz de Oliveira Borges
School of Medicine, Olinda Medical School – FMO, Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Pompéia Freire da Silva
Hospital de Câncer de Pernambuco - HCP, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: This study aims to report a case of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with a primary site in the tonsil in a 76-year-old male patient and review the main aspects.
Presentation of Case: In this study, the patient had a palpable cervical mass on the right (predominantly affecting level V) and a large primary tumor in the tonsillar site on the right, making it necessary to perform a biopsy for histopathological and immunohistochemical studies.
Discussion: Primary small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (SNEC) are poorly differentiated neoplasms with poor prognosis and low incidence in the head and neck regions. SNEC originating in the head and neck, which have the tonsils as their primary sites, are even rarer, with only 14 cases being reported in the English literature over the last 40 years.
Conclusion: Due to the scarcity of data in the literature on this pathology due to its rarity, therapeutic strategies have not yet been formulated. The clinical and imaging data in this study were essential for staging and primary site definition. Despite the favorable initial response to treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the patient progressed with the disease, conferring the poor prognosis expected for this type of neoplasm.
Keywords: Tonsillar fossa, Neuroendocrine carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, genitourinary tracts, specific solutions