We describe the interesting case of a young man who presented with a lateral neck node that was diagnosed as a branchial cyst. Histopathology of the excised node revealed that a papillary carcinoma was located within thyroid tissue, which in turn was located within a branchial cyst. A total thyroidectomy with local lymph node clearance was performed. Histology identified a normal thyroid gland, but a papillary carcinoma in one of the excised lymph nodes was consistent with a metastasis. To our knowledge, this is only the second reported case of a thyroid carcinoma arising in ectopic thyroid tissue that metastasized in the neck.
References
1.
MatsumotoK, WatanabeY, AsanoG.Thyroid papillary carcinoma arising in ectopic thyroid tissue within a branchial cleft cyst. Pathol Int1999;49:444–6.
2.
BalasubramaniamGS, StillwellRG, KennedyJT. Papillary carcinoma arising in ectopic thyroid tissue within a branchial cyst. Pathology1992;24:214–16.
3.
JadusinghW, ShahDJ, ShawH, LynC.Thyroid papillary carcinoma arising in a branchial cleft cyst. West Indian Med J1996;45:122–4.
4.
SidhuS, LioeTF, ClementsB.Thyroid papillary carcinoma in lateral neck cyst: Missed primary tumour or ectopic thyroid carcinoma within a branchial cyst? J Laryngol Otol2000;114:716–18.
5.
BatsakisJG, El-NaggarAK, LunaMA. Thyroid gland ectopias. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol1996;105:996–1000.
RosaiJ, CarcanguiML, DeLellisRA. Tumor of thyroid gland. In: Atlas of Tumor Pathology. Washington, D.C.: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; 1996:317–26.
14.
OhriAK, OhriSK, SinghMP. Evidence for thyroid development from the fourth branchial pouch. J Laryngol Otol1994;108:71–3.
15.
GrabowskaH.Papillary carcinoma arising from ectopic thyroid gland in the wall of a thyroglossal duct cyst. Pathol Res Pract1993;189:1228–9; discussion 1230–2.
16.
KumCK, GohP, TehM.Papillary carcinoma arising in a thyroglossal cyst. Aust N Z J Surg1993;63:738–40.
17.
LiVolsiVA, PerzinKH, SavetskyL.Carcinoma arising in median ectopic thyroid (including thyroglossal duct tissue). Cancer1974;34:1303–15.
