Papillary thyroid carcinoma in thyroglossal duct cyst: a review article

Background : Anomalies of the branchial apparatus are a common pathology, especially in the pediatric population. Most of them are benign, but there are also conditions, such as papillary carcinoma in thyroglossal cysts, which, if not promptly detected and treated, can significantly worsen the prognosis of patients. Materials and methods : This article is a review that provides information on the nature of papillary carcinoma developed from thyroid tissue in thyroglossal cysts, its behavior, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. It was written after a detailed analysis of 40 prestigious articles from refereed journals in English. Discussion: Congenital anomalies of the branchial apparatus arise during the first two lunar months of pregnancy and occur in about 7% of the population. Not all manifest clinically. Papillary carcinoma, developed from the thyroid epithelium in thyroglossal cysts, is a very rare disease; only a few hundred cases have been described so far. In most of them, it is found incidentally during imaging, cytological, and histological studies on the occasion of the presence of thyroglossal cysts. The main difference with the latter on imaging is that in carcinoma there is a soft tissue component in the present cystic lesion, whereas in benign thyroglossal cysts, the contents are entirely fluid. Conclusion: The prognosis of the disease with its early detection and removal is good. The medical approach for these patients is interdisciplinary, and the operative treatment in Bulgaria is the subject of maxillofacial surgery.