Management of thyroid carcinoma arising from thyroglossal duct cyst: series of 5 cases

Thyroid carcinoma presenting within thyroglossal duct remnants is rarely reported. No definite agreement exists regarding the therapeutical management after excision of the cyst especially concerning the necessity of total thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy. A series of five cases is presented and relevant literature is reviewed.

A retrospective review of all patients with thyroglossal duct cyst carcinoma treated between 2002 und 2017 was performed.

Out of 578 patients with a thyroglossal duct cyst in five (3 women and 2 men) in the age of 16 – 73 years (mean: 51, median: 56 years) a thyroidal carcinoma could be identified. All of them presented with a painless hyoidal swelling. Diagnosis was made in all cases after surgery, but in one case, malignancy was presumed in the preoperative MRI. Papillary thyroid carcinoma was found in all samples. Four of the patients underwent total thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy, in two of them a neck dissection of medial and lateral compartement was performed. The last patient withdrew from further diagnostics and therapy. In all four samples, no carcinoma of the thyroidal gland or nodal metastasis was found.

Due to the rare occurence of thyroidal carcinoma in thyroglossal duct cysts, therapeutical management is controversial. Stratification of patients according to risk groups should be used to identify patients, who would benefit from an additional thyroidectomy. Prognosis is excellent.

Publication History

Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)