Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2003 May;46(5):448-450.

Papillary Carcinoma Arising in Thyroglossal Duct Cyst: A Case Report

• Mun SK
• Lee KW
• Paik SH
• Kim H

Abstract

The thyroglossal duct cyst, mainly appearing as a midline neck swelling in adolescence and young adults, is the most common cervical mass among the congenital anomalies in the neck. The cysts are usually asymptomatic and movable when swallowing or protruding the tongue. Carcinoma arising in thyroglossal duct cyst is found in approximately 1% of these lesions, therefore the presentation of the patient with carcinoma is indistinguishable from the common cyst. A 50-year-old man was examined preoperatively by ultrasonography of the neck, assay of thyroid hormones and neck CT with enhancement, which yielded a diagnosis of a thyroglossal duct cyst. The patient underwent Sistrunk procedure for excision of a thyroglossal duct cyst. No thyroid abnormality and no palpable lymph node were noted. The histopathological examination revealed papillary carcinoma. So we performed bilateral neck dissection 17 days after the Sistrunk procedure. There were no problems in the postoperative course and no signs of local recurrence or metastases through one year after surgery. We present this case of papillary carcinoma arising in the thyroglossal duct cyst, with the review of literature.

Keyword

Carcinoma; Papillary; Thyroglossal cyst

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Carcinoma, Papillary*
Deglutition
Diagnosis
Humans
Lymph Nodes
Middle Aged
Neck
Neck Dissection
Neoplasm Metastasis
Recurrence
Thyroglossal Cyst*
Thyroid Gland
Thyroid Hormones
Tongue
Ultrasonography
Young Adult
Thyroid Hormones