Radiological appearance of primary branchial cleft cyst carcinoma.

The hypothesis that primary branchiogenic carcinoma originates from a branchial cleft cyst is controversial. Many reports regarding primary branchiogenic carcinoma failed to provide sufficient evidence to distinguish it from metastatic cervical lymph nodes arising from previously unrecognized primary tumours. The radiological appearance of malignant transformation from a branchial cleft cyst has not been reported previously in the English literature. A radiological study is presented that confirms the primary branchiogenic carcinoma. The management in suspected cases would be wide surgical excision of the tumour including ipsilateral radical neck dissection followed by radiation therapy.