We report an interesting case of a recurrent left lateral neck mass in a 6-year-old boy. When the tumor failed to disappear after a course of antibiotic therapy, it was excised. Histologic study revealed that the encapsulated mass contained a parathyroid gland embedded within a histologically normal thymus. The presence of thymic and parathyroid tissue within a single capsule supports the idea that these two structures have a common embryologic origin. The combination of thymic and parathyroid tissue in a neck mass in a patient so young is rarely reported.
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