Abstract
A case of papillary carcinoma arising from a thyroglossal duct cyst is reported. A 43-year-old man was referred to our clinic with an anterior cervical mass. CT scan and MRI imaging revealed a ring-enhanced cystic mass in his anterior neck, while ultrasonography showed an irregular echo in the mass. He was preoperatively diagnosed with thyroglossal duct cyst, and underwent resection of the mass by Sistrunk's procedure. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen showed papillary carcinoma in the thyroglossal duct cyst. Because the histological findings indicated that the tumor had been completely resected, no additional treatment was given. His postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient is currently free from disease 3 years after surgery.
It is known that carcinoma, mostly papillary carcinoma, occurs more frequently in thyroglossal duct cysts than in the ordinary thyroid gland. Ultrasonography is a sensitive and useful method for detecting calcified lesions for the diagnosis of this disease. The epidemiology and clinical characteristics of papillary carcinoma associated with thyroglossal duct cyst were reviewed in the literature.
