{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T05:20:32Z","timestamp":1763702432429,"version":"3.45.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763683200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Branchial cleft carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor originating from the epithelium of branchial cleft cysts, which are highly susceptible to misdiagnosis. There is a lack of systematic consensus on its lymph node metastasis pattern and standardized treatment protocol. We report a case of branchial cleft carcinoma with cervical lymph node metastasis and discuss its diagnostic criteria, clinicopathological features, lymph node metastatic characteristics, and treatment strategies. This case report supports the notion that branchial cleft carcinoma should be diagnosed according to Khafif\u2019s criteria, and long-term follow-up is necessary to reduce the misdiagnosis rate. And treatment should be based on radical tumor resection combined with ipsilateral cervical lymph node dissection, and adjuvant radiotherapy is recommended for the presence of lymph node metastasis or locally invasive growth.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2025.1639480","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T05:15:43Z","timestamp":1763702143000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Branchial cleft carcinoma with cervical lymph node metastasis: a Case Report"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Xiangyu","family":"Diao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xuan","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hongwei","family":"Zuo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fenglin","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","first-page":"49","article-title":"Das tiefe branchiogene Halskarcinom","volume":"1","author":"Volkmann","year":"1882","journal-title":"Zentralbl Chir"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00000658-195011000-00002","article-title":"The case for branchiogenic cancer (malignant branchioma)","volume":"132","author":"Martin","year":"1950","journal-title":"Ann Surg"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/hed.2880110209","article-title":"Primary branchiogenic carcinoma","volume":"11","author":"Khafif","year":"1989","journal-title":"Head Neck"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-0142(19980301)82:5<944::AID-CNCR21>3.0.CO;2-#","article-title":"The clinical importance of cystic squamous cell carcinomas in the neck: a study of 136 cases","volume":"82","author":"Thompson","year":"1998","journal-title":"Cancer"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-4652(200003)182:3<311::AID-JCP1>3.0.CO;2-9","article-title":"The Ki-67 protein: from the known and the unknown","volume":"182","author":"Scholzen","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Cell Physiol"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005537-200206000-00014","article-title":"Cystic metastasis versus branchial cleft carcinoma: a diagnostic challenge","volume":"112","author":"Briggs","year":"2002","journal-title":"Laryngoscope"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/CM9.0000000000000451","article-title":"Branchiogenic carcinoma in the parotid gland","volume":"132","author":"Zeng","year":"2019","journal-title":"Chin Med J (Engl)"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102028","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jormas.2024.102028","article-title":"Diagnosis and treatment of bilateral primary branchiogenic carcinoma: A case of Malignant transformation of branchial cleft cyst","volume":"126","author":"Gao","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0022215107001004","article-title":"Squamous carcinoma arising in a branchial cleft cyst: have you ever treated one? Will you","volume":"122","author":"Devaney","year":"2008","journal-title":"J\u00a0Laryngol Otol"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1258\/0022215054273241","article-title":"Post-operative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with carboplatin and 5-fluorouracil for primary branchiogenic carcinoma","volume":"119","author":"Katori","year":"2005","journal-title":"J Laryngol Otol"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.13753\/j.issn.1007-6611.2018.09.022","article-title":"Treatment and prognosis of branchiogenic carcinoma: a systematic analysis","volume":"49","author":"Ye","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Shanxi Med Univ"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/000348949810700611","article-title":"Branchial cleft cyst carcinoma: myth or reality","volume":"107","author":"Singh","year":"1998","journal-title":"Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"80","DOI":"10.1186\/s13014-020-01529-z","article-title":"Radiotherapeutic management of cervical lymph node metastases from an unknown primary site - experiences from a large cohort treated with modern radiation techniques","volume":"15","author":"Sprave","year":"2020","journal-title":"Radiat Oncol"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005537-200010000-00012","article-title":"Incidence of unsuspected metastases in lateral cervical cysts","volume":"110","author":"Gourin","year":"2000","journal-title":"Laryngoscope"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archotol.1992.01880090085022","article-title":"The first branchial cleft carcinoma","volume":"118","author":"Park","year":"1992","journal-title":"Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/hed.20381","article-title":"Cystic metastasis from head and neck squamous cell cancer: a distinct disease variant","volume":"28","author":"Goldenberg","year":"2006","journal-title":"Head Neck"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/sj.bjc.6690229","article-title":"Cystic lymph node metastases of squamous cell carcinoma of Waldeyer\u2019s ring origin","volume":"79","author":"Regauer","year":"1999","journal-title":"Br J Cancer"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2214\/AJR.11.8120","article-title":"Differentiation of branchial cleft cysts and Malignant cystic adenopathy of pharyngeal origin","volume":"199","author":"Goyal","year":"2012","journal-title":"AJR Am J Roentgenol"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/hed.21476","article-title":"Laryngeal cancer involving a branchial cleft cyst","volume":"33","author":"Ida","year":"2011","journal-title":"Head Neck"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3760\/cma.j.cn112152-20231024-00248","article-title":"Analysis of cases of cervical cystic lymph node metastasis with an unknown primary misdiagnosed as branchial cleft carcinoma","volume":"46","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Chin J Oncol"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/thy.2009.0124","article-title":"Papillary thyroid carcinoma arising in a branchial cleft cyst","volume":"20","author":"Park","year":"2010","journal-title":"Thyroid"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2024.1378405","article-title":"Unusual coexistence: branchial cleft cyst harboring papillary thyroid carcinoma with lymph node metastasis-a rare case report and clinical insights","volume":"14","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Oncol"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3760\/j.issn:0253-3766.2004.10.016","article-title":"Metastatic cystic squamous cell carcinoma in the neck mistaken as primary branchial cleft carcinoma: a report of 4 cases","volume":"26","author":"Huang","year":"2004","journal-title":"Chin J Oncol"},{"key":"B24","article-title":"NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology: head and neck cancers. Version 5","year":"2025"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Oncology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2025.1639480\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T05:15:45Z","timestamp":1763702145000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2025.1639480\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"references-count":24,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fonc.2025.1639480"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fonc.2025.1639480","relation":{},"ISSN":["2234-943X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2234-943X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"article-number":"1639480"}}