Primary papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal duct: case report and review of the literature.

Primary malignancies of the thyroglossal duct are rare. Around 150 cases are described in the world literature, most of them being papillary thyroid carcinomas. Other types of tumors are squamous cell carcinomas, mixed follicular-papillary carcinomas, or adenocarcinomas. Women are affected more often than men, the ratio being 2:1. Preoperative diagnosis of primary malignancies of the thyroglossal duct is uncommon. Initial treatment of primary malignancies of the thyroglossal duct is usually sufficiently done operatively by the so-called Sistrunk's procedure which, however, was first described in 1893 by Schlange. Some patients may need further treatment such as wider excision, thyroidectomy, radioiodine therapy, or neck dissection. In this report the case of a papillary carcinoma of the thyroglossal duct in a 63-year-old man is presented. It is intended to remind the reader of this pathology which is often forgotten because of its rarity. The problems that occur during the process of evaluation regarding ideal treatment of the individual case are discussed. The literature is reviewed.