Lingual Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Bilateral Neck Node Metastasis

ABSTRACT Incidence of ectopic thyroid tissue is 1 in every 100,000 to 300,000 in general population and lingual thyroid is the most common ectopic site (90%). The number of reported neoplasms occurring in this tissue seems disproportionately small when compared with the frequency of tumor formation in the normally placed thyroid. Till now only 51 cases of lingual thyroid cancer have been reported in the literature. We are reporting a case of lingual thyroid carcinoma with bilateral cervical metastasis and absent orthotopic thyroid gland. In our case we approach the tumor via midline lip splitting with lateral mandibulotomy approach which provides us a good exposure of the entire oropharynx (tumor). We have managed the tumor according to the guidelines of differentiated thyroid cancer because of non availability of guidelines for ectopic thyroid cancer. After surgical excision of lingual thyroid and neck dissection radioiodine therapy was given. The surgical approach to a lingual thyroid cancer as well as adjuvant therapy and natural history remains to be ascertained due to the rarity of the disease. Lip splitting with lateral mandibulotomy and swing approach appears to give adequate exposure to lingual thyroid. How to cite this article Singh SP, Das S, Jain DK. Lingual Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Bilateral Neck Node Metastasis. World J Endoc Surg 2017;9(2):68-71.