Cervical manifestation of Lymphoepithelial sialadenitis-like thymic hyperplasia: a case report

Introduction A 71-year-old patient presented with swelling in the right cervical area that had been progressive for a few weeks. The patient, who has a previous cardiac illness, reported that he has no complaints or restrictions due to the swelling. B symptoms are denied.

Material and methods Image morphology revealed a hypoechoic, well-circumscribed, cystic mass measuring approximately 4x4x3 cm. Based on the clinic, the examination findings and the image morphology, the suspected diagnosis of a lateral neck cyst on the right was initially made and the indication for surgical treatment was given. The intraoperative findings were consistent with that of a lateral neck cyst.

Results In the pathological report, the suspected diagnosis of a cystic transformed thymoma was initially mentioned. After additional immunohistological examination and reference pathology, the diagnosis of "massive cystic thymic hyperplasia with lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (LESA)-like features" was made with certainty.

Conclusion The rare LESA-like thymic hyperplasia was first described in the literature in 2012 and is associated with the occurrence of lymphoma and autoimmune diseases. The listed pathology is classified as benign. The few cases reported in the literature only show mediastinal manifestations. A cervical manifestation has not yet been described and can be explained by the embryonic development of the thymus. The case study shows that in the context of the suspected diagnosis of a lateral neck cyst in thepresence of additional lymphoma and autoimmune disease, there is the possibility of a rare ectopic thymic hyperplasia with lymphoepithelial sialadenitis.

 

Scroll to top

Publication History

Article published online:
19 April 2024