Papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal duct cyst: report of two cases

Vol. 51 No. 4, 2010

ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

Adriana Torcivia, C. Polliand, Marianne Ziol, Fanny Dufour, G. Champault, C. Barrat

Aim: To present two cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) and to report their management. Patients and Methods: Two patients, a 47-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man, were operated in 2006 and 2008 in the Department of Digestive and Metabolic Surgery of the "Jean Verdier" Hospital. Results: The diagnosis of papillary carcinoma was established after the pathological examination carried out on the thyroglossal duct cyst, after its complete surgical excision. A total thyroidectomy followed by a treatment by radioactive iodine and a substitutive hormonal therapy were carried out in the second time for one of the two patients. For the other patient, a total thyroidectomy followed by a substitute hormonal therapy, were achieved. The evolution was favorable, with a follow-up of four years for the first patient and two years for the second one. Discussion: Total thyroidectomy after the complete excision of the cyst is currently the recommended treatment for the papillary carcinoma of the TDC. It was shown that a latent thyroid cancer could develop even 15 years after the initial excision of the thyroglossal cyst. The treatment is curative in 95% of the cases. Conclusions: Current treatment of papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal duct cyst is well codified, allowing an excellent prognostic.

Corresponding author: Adriana Torcivia, MD, e-mail: adriana.torcivia@jvr.aphp.fr

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