Papillary carcinoma arising from the lateral branch remnant of the thyroglossal duct

An 81-year-old man visited our hospital for a lateral neck mass outside the thyroid cartilage. Fine needle aspiration of the neck mass showed class V, papillary carcinoma, but thyroid class I. Total thyroidectomy and D2a neck dissection were performed, and histological diagnosis revealed papillary carcinoma of the neck mass, but, no tumor of the thyroid. In this case, the lateral neck mass was clinically diagnosed as primary papillary carcinoma arising from the lateral branch remnant of the thyroglossal duct.