THYROID CANCER – A POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC ERROR WHEN EVALUATING
A PATIENT WITH A "CYSTIC" LESION IN THE NECK
Cystic degeneration of cervical lymph nodes is common
in papillary thyroid cancer. These lesions should be viewed with a high index
of suspicion and the diagnosis should be confirmed by FNA and cytology and
thyroglobulin measurement in the aspirate. A potential diagnostic error is to
consider these cystic lesions as benign (for example, falsely diagnosed as
branchial cleft cyst), especially when there is no associated extensive
cervical neck lymphadenopathy or findings from the thyroid. These cystic lymph
node metastases may be the only manifestation of an occult thyroid cancer.
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