We report a case of papillary carcinoma arising from the thyroglossal duct. The patient was a 53-year-old woman who presented with an anterior neck mass. CT revealed a relatively well-delineated tumor in front of the hyoid bone, with minute calcifications observed within the tumor. We performed fine needle aspiration cytology, but were unable to arrive at a definitive diagnosis before operation. As the tumor was suspected to be of thyroglossal duct origin, we extracted it by the Sistrunk method. Postoperative histopathological examination revealed the diagnosis of papillary cancer arising from the thyroglossal duct. Diagnostic imaging is useful for differentiating thyroglossal duct carcinoma from a thyroglossal cyst. On diagnostic imaging, it is necessary to bear in mind the possibility of thyroglossal duct carcinoma, if findings that are not typical of thyroglossal cysts are observed, such as cyst wall thickening or irregularity and solid lesions inside the cyst. In thyroglossal duct carcinomas, solid components and calcifications are often found, and in particular, the presence of microcalcifications seems to be a distinct diagnostic imaging finding of thyroglossal duct carcinoma.
