Endocrine Abstracts

Thyroglossal tract cyst carcinoma (TTC) is a rare pathological situation, The challenge is mainly in the surgical management. We report a new case of papillary TTC in a 51 year old female patient, not suspected preoperatively and confirmed postoperatively by histological analysis of the resected specimen. The therapeutic strategy was completed by a total thyroidectomy with adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine and hormone restraint therapy. The outcome was favorable after 7 years of follow-up. The incidence of TTC carcinoma is unknown, probably in the order of 1%. Since Brentano’s first description in 1911, only about 300 cases have been published, mostly as case reports or small serie. The papillary type is the most common and is found in about 83% of cases. The other types are mixed papillary-vesicular carcinomas (8%), squamous cell carcinomas (6%), a few cases of Hûrthle cell, vesicular, anaplastic and squamous cell carcinomas. No cases of medullary carcinoma have been described. In the absence of clear guidelines, the management of TTC depends on the clinical situation and the experience of the treating team. TTC carcinoma is a rare entity with an overall good prognosis. Its management is still a matter of debate between those who are satisfied with excision of the cyst and others who opt for a more aggressive treatment. In all cases, it is necessary to stratify the risk of recurrence in order to identify the modalities of subsequent follow-up. With this work, we add a new observation of a rare carcinoma with the expectation that further studies will be done to standardize the therapeutic procedure and improve the prognosis.

Keywords: papillary carcinoma, thyroglossal tract cyst, thyroid surgery, iratherapy.