OBJECTIVETo study the clinical characteristic, diagnosis, surgical treatment and prognosis of thyroglossal duct carcinoma (TDCa).

METHODSA total of 110 patients with thyroglossal duct remanat in our hospital between 1991 and 2011 was reviewed. Five patients of them were diagnosed with TDCa by pathological examination, including 4 cases of papillary carcinoma and 1 case of squamous cell carcinoma.

RESULTSAll five patients were men and the median age was 41 years (range from 17 - 73 years). Pulmonary metastasis was found preoperatively in one patient with papillary carcinoma. All five patients were managed by surgical treatment. Sistrunk operation was performed with resection of the tumor, thyroglossal remanat and partial hyoid bone in 2 patients, with resection of thyroid nodule in one patient, with total thyroidectomy and central neck dissection in one patient with pulmonary metastasis, with extensive resection of invading tissues in one patient with squamous TDCa. Two patients with papillary carcinoma underwent the treatment with TSH suppression postoperatively, of them one with pulmonary metastasis received radioactive iodine therapy simultaneously. The remaining three patients did not receive any further treatment. With follow-up of 14 - 45 months, local recurrence occurred in one patient with squamous TDCa after two months and caused death seven months after surgery, and the other four patients survived.

CONCLUSIONSTDCa is a rare malignant tumor that is usually diagnosed after surgery. The Sistrunk operation may be adequate for low-risk cases.