{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T14:17:50Z","timestamp":1784557070910,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Bioscientifica","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,1]],"date-time":"2025-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735689600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["edm.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,1]]},"abstract":"\n Summary<\/jats:title>\n Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in a branchial cleft cyst (BCC) is exceedingly rare. This case report describes a 53-year-old male with a BCC containing PTC. Despite normal preoperative thyroid imaging, total thyroidectomy revealed multifocal bilateral micropapillary thyroid carcinoma with a contralateral metastatic lymph node, suggesting an aggressive disease course. This finding supports the likelihood that thyroid gland carcinoma metastasized to the BCC. However, the possibility of a primary tumor arising from ectopic thyroid tissue within the cyst cannot be excluded. To our knowledge, this is the 11th reported case of papillary thyroid cancer noted in a BCC. The patient underwent successful treatment, including radioiodine ablation, highlighting the importance of thorough diagnostic evaluation and management in such rare presentations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Learning points<\/jats:title>\n \n \n While most BCCs are benign, PTC can very rarely present within BCC.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n Metastatic PTC with a necrotic lymph node is often misdiagnosed as BCC, both radiographically and histologically.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n Since PTC arising as a primary tumor from ectopic thyroid tissue within a BCC is extremely rare, total thyroidectomy should be considered even in patients with radiographically normal thyroid to rule out micropapillary primary thyroid tumors.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n A thyroglobulin assay from the needle washout of a fine-needle aspiration of a BCC may help preoperatively identify differentiated thyroid cancers.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n \n Micropapillary thyroid cancers (<1 cm) are usually indolent, but some may show nodal metastases and clinical progression.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:list-item>\n <\/jats:list>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1530\/edm-24-0136","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,24]],"date-time":"2025-03-24T18:22:27Z","timestamp":1742840547000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-2","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Papillary thyroid carcinoma in a branchial cleft cyst"],"prefix":"10.1530","volume":"2025","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-5430-3266","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Luke","family":"Vroegindewey","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Somerset, Kentucky, USA"},{"name":"Endocrinology Center of Lake Cumberland, Somerset, Kentucky, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Somerset, Kentucky, USA"},{"name":"Endocrinology Center of Lake Cumberland, Somerset, Kentucky, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1961-9909","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Dennis J","family":"Joseph","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Somerset, Kentucky, USA"},{"name":"Endocrinology Center of Lake Cumberland, Somerset, Kentucky, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"416","reference":[{"key":"bib1","series-title":"Turk Arch Otorhinolaryngol","first-page":"95","article-title":"Papillary thyroid carcinoma spreading into branchial cleft cyst","volume":"57","author":"G\u00fcr H","year":"2019","unstructured":"G\u00fcr H\n, \nArpac\u0131 RB\n, \n\u0130smi O\n, et al.\n Papillary thyroid carcinoma spreading into branchial cleft cyst. 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