Cervical ectopic thymus masquerading as metastatic thyroid papillary carcinoma
- Author:
Amit K Chowhan
;
Vijay SB Kinnera
;
Mutheeswaraiah Yootla
;
M Kumaraswamy Reddy
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- Keywords:
ectopic thymus, neck mass, thyroid, children
- From:The Malaysian Journal of Pathology
2010;32(1):65-68
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Cervical ectopic thymus (CET), a common embryological anomaly detected incidentally at autopsy,
is rarely described in clinical patients. Furthermore, aberrant cervical thymic tissue is an infrequently
reported cause of paediatric neck masses.We report a 12-year-old female presenting with multinodular
thyroid swelling since seven years of age. FNAC revealed adenomatous goitre with suspicious
cystic papillary neoplastic foci, for which she underwent total thyroidectomy along with excision of a
nodular swelling near the lower pole of the right thyroid lobe which was per-operatively suspected to
be a lymph node. Histopathological examination revealed a follicular variant papillary carcinoma of
the thyroid with background thyroiditis, and a nodule of ectopic thymic tissue. Though the presence
of CET is rare, one should be aware of this entity, especially in children because it may be confused
with lymph node metastasis which may lead to morbid radical neck dissection.
- Full text:W020151209343417034970.pdf
