Papillary adenocarcinoma in a thyroglossal cyst. Case report and review of the literature

Papillary adenocarcinoma arising in a thyroglossal cyst was described in a 46-year-old man. The diagnosis was based on the demonstration within the cyst wall of ectopic follicles displaying progressive alterations and atypical morphology ranging from frank epithelial unrest to early papillary formation. The sex and age distribution of the recorded cases in the literature is similar to those of the carcinoma of thyroid gland. Follow-up of 17 pathologically documented cases point to the absence of correlation between the relatively innocent histologic picture of the neoplasm and its unpredictable biologic behavior. This strongly underlines the importance of the complete resection of the intact cyst without delay.