Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2007 Dec;50(12):1179-1183.

A Case of Thymic Squamous Cell Carcinoma Misdiagnosed as a Thyroid Cancer

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea. kytae@hanyang.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Thymic carcinoma is a rare tumor that develops in the anterosuperior mediastinum. The prognosis of thymic carcinoma is poor. It is often misdiagnosed as a thyroid tumor in the fine needle aspiration cytology because of its rarity and non-organotypic cytoarchitectural structure. We have experienced a case of thymic carcinoma that was misdiagnosed as a thyroid carcinoma in the clinical, radiologic and cytologic evaluation. The patient visited our department due to hoarseness. Neck and chest CT scan showed a huge mass, and we supposed a malignant thyroid tumor from lower pole of the thyroid, which extended toward the superior mediastinum. The fine needle aspiration cytologic diagnosis of the mass showed that it was anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid. Total thyroidectomy including mass and selective neck dissection was performed. Postoperative pathologic diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma of the thymus. So we report this case with a review of literature.

Keyword

Thymic cancer; Fine-needle aspiration biopsy; Thyroid cancer

MeSH Terms

Biopsy, Fine-Needle
Carcinoma
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell*
Diagnosis
Hoarseness
Humans
Mediastinum
Neck
Neck Dissection
Prognosis
Thymoma
Thymus Gland
Thymus Neoplasms
Thyroid Gland*
Thyroid Neoplasms*
Thyroidectomy
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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