Ectopic Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in Anterior Neck Region with a Normal Thyroid Gland-A Rare Entity.

Ectopic thyroid tissue is defined as thyroid tissue that is present at a location other than its normal anatomical location. It can have any pathological condition that could impact the orthotopic thyroid gland. However, ectopic thyroid tissue seldom becomes malignant, and the occurrence of a follicular variant of papillary carcinoma in ectopic thyroid is much more unusual. We report a rare case of ectopic follicular variant of papillary carcinoma in a 73-year-old female with a normal orthotopic thyroid gland. Despite a few reports on ectopic papillary carcinoma thyroid (PTC) in submental, thyroglossal duct cysts, and bronchial cleft cysts with normal pathologic examinations of orthotopic thyroid, only one case of PTC in the anterior neck region without any neoplastic involvement of the orthotopic thyroid gland has been reported. Ectopic thyroid carcinoma should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of a mass lesion in the front of the neck even in the presence of a normal thyroid gland which will aid in early diagnosis and treatment of such cases.