title: Papillary thyroid carcinoma with tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy mimicking metastasis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy mimicking metastasis from papillary thyroid cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgical Unit-I, Ward-3 of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from March 2005 to March 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients above 12 years of age of either gender diagnosed on investigations as papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) were included in the study. Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), neck of solitary thyroid nodules (STN) and cervical lymph nodes were done. Total thyroidectomy and excision biopsy of cervical lymph nodes was performed, histopathological results were recorded and patients were managed accordingly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 55 patients had PTC and 25 had cervical lymphadenopathy. Eighteen patients of PTC with cervical lymphadenopathy were diagnosed after investigations as cases of tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy (TCL) initially considered as metastasis from PTC; 5 patients had metastasis from PTC. Two patients proved to be of reactive hyperplasia which initially showed tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy on FNAC. So 80% patients of cervical lymphadenopathy with PTC were due to benign disease and 20% had metastasis in lymph node due to PTC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PTC with cervical lymphadenopathy due to co-existent tuberculosis is common. Metastasis from PTC in lymph nodes were less common than tuberculous lymphodenitis in this study. Tuberculosis should be considered before deciding for neck dissection in cases of PTC.
authors: Department of Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. sikander48@yahoo.com
authors: Mazhar
authors: M
authors: Iqbal
authors: Anis
authors: A
authors: Subhan
authors: Asadullah
authors: A
authors: Aslam
mesh_terms: D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014388:Tuberculosis, Lymph Node / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography