Occult Thyroid Carcinoma : A Case Report

A case of occult thyroid carcinoma is presented. A 35 year-old woman was admitted because of a mass in the right sided neck. The histological examination revealed that this mass was papillary adenocarcinoma of the thyroid origin. However, the thyroid was found to have no abnormalities by functional and scintigraphic examinations. Moreover, the surgical exploration revealed that the thyroid gland seemed to have normal appearance. She received radiation therapy with total 6900 rad of high voltage x-ray during 57 days following the surgery, and she has been well and free from any recurrence for 6 months after the surgery. The etiology and pathogenesis of this disease were discussed.