Papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal duct cyst in a 15-year-old girl

Abstract

Summary Thyroglossal duct (TGD) cysts are the most common midline mass found in children. Most of the thyroglossal duct remnants are benign, however, a small percentage of them undergoes neoplastic change. Carcinoma arising in a TGD is rare, with only approximately 250 reported cases. The median age of development of carcinoma in thyroglossal cyst is 40 years old. We report a case of papillary carcinoma in a thyroglossal duct cyst in a 15-year-old girl. She presented to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) with 3 months history of anterior neck swelling. A Sistrunk operation was performed. Intraoperatively the cystic swelling was noted to be adherent to the infrahyoid muscle. Preoperative diagnosis of patients with carcinoma in a TDC is unusual. In a large series report, preoperative thyroid scanning did not seem to be of value in diagnosing carcinoma in TDC. Patients are also usually euthyroid. Therefore, TDC carcinoma is often diagnosed only after surgery. The possibility of second focus of tumor in the thyroid gland was reported as 11–33% of cases, hence thyroidectomy and long term follow-up is warranted.