Management of papillary carcinoma arising in thyroglossal-duct anlage

Cysts of the thyroglossal duct are common congenital abnormalities. They present as asymptomatic midline cervical swellings. The risk of malignant change is low; only 103 cases have been reported in the world literature, 85% of which were papillary adenocarcinomas. The appropriate treatment for this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCanadian journal of surgery Vol. 35; no. 5; p. 522
Main Authors Maziak, D, Borowy, Z J, Deitel, M, Jaksic, T, Ralph-Edwards, A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Canada 01.10.1992
Subjects
Carcinoma, Papillary - pathology
Carcinoma, Papillary - surgery
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Thyroglossal Cyst - pathology
Thyroglossal Cyst - surgery
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Summary:Cysts of the thyroglossal duct are common congenital abnormalities. They present as asymptomatic midline cervical swellings. The risk of malignant change is low; only 103 cases have been reported in the world literature, 85% of which were papillary adenocarcinomas. The appropriate treatment for this condition remains controversial. The authors describe three patients who had papillary carcinoma contained within a thyroglossal-duct rest. All were treated by cyst resection and thyroid suppression, but without thyroidectomy and radioactive thyroid ablation. Postoperatively, all patients remained disease free, with no recurrence at follow-up ranging from 10 to 29 years. Isolated papillary carcinomas arising from primitive thyroid remnants, associated with a palpably normal thyroid gland at surgery and a negative thyroid scan, can be treated adequately by excising the thyroglossal mass.
ISSN:0008-428X