Solitary Cystic Neck Swelling: A Histopathological Surprise

Cystic lesions of the neck in the adult are common and are usually benign.Metastatic cervical cystic lymph node as first and sole manifestation of occult papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is observed rarely.Thyroid papillary carcinoma can give rise to a solitary cervical cystic mass as the initial manifestation of the disease.The role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in identifying pathology of such cystic mass is critical.We present a case of a solitary cystic mass in the lateral aspect of the neck, which was the only symptom of the papillary micro-carcinoma without thyromegaly.Around 40 cases only have been reported so far in literature.