A case report of a giant mature teratoma of the thyroid gland in a young girl

Thyroid Teratoma in a Pediatric Patient

Congenital thyroid teratomas are rare in the pediatric population as well as in the adult population. While they are typically found in the gonadal regions, extragonadally, they are commonly found in the sacrococcygeal region, with teratomas of the head and neck rarely found, comprising only about 1%-6% of all pediatric teratomas. Due to a concern for potential airway compromise and increased risk of malignancy with age, early surgical excision is recommended. In this case report, we present a two-year-old female who underwent laryngoscopy with subsequent right thyroid lobectomy for a large thyroid mass, which was found to be a congenital thyroid teratoma.

Thyroid teratoma in a newborn

A newborn girl presenting with respiratory distress soon after birth was found to have a neck mass and required transfer to a paediatric intensive care unit with neonatal expertise. She subsequently underwent endoscopic airway assessment with microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy proceeding to open excision of the lesion in the right thyroid lobe on day thirteen of life, resulting in resolution of airway compromise and complete pathological clearance. The baby was discharged 10 days after surgery. Histology confirmed a thyroid teratoma. At 12 months, the child was thriving with no evidence of recurrence. This case illustrates a rare but serious diagnosis that, if not managed in a timely manner, can lead to significant morbidity and mortality.

Primary thyroid teratoma in adults: A case report and systematic review of the literature

Extragonadal germ cell tumors are uncommon in adults and only 2-5% of teratomas develop in extragonadal sites. Primary thyroid teratomas represent <0.1% of all primary thyroid gland neoplasms. In the present report, a case of primary thyroid teratoma in a 65-year-old female is described. Furthermore, the current literature regarding patients who were diagnosed with primary thyroid teratoma and underwent surgical resection was systematically reviewed. A total of 15 studies of 27 patients (age range, 17-65 years). Growing mass or neck swelling were the primary symptoms in 14 patients (51.8%). Only one (5.5%) patient was preoperatively diagnosed with malignant thyroid teratoma. All patients underwent thyroidectomy, but 6 cases had more advanced surgery, including lymph node dissection. A total of 12 patients received a combination of adjuvant chemoradiation postoperatively, 10 (45.4%) patients reported recurrence of disease and 8 (29.6%) were postoperatively diagnosed with distant metastases. A total of 9 (39.1%) patients died due to progression of the disease. In conclusion, primary thyroid teratomas are rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. In particular, malignant cases are very aggressive tumors with a considerably poor prognosis, even after surgical resection combined with adjuvant chemoradiation.