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An Unusual Case of a Hypopharyngeal Mass in a Patient Presenting With Weakness
Christine M Mavilian1, Jun Yun1, Alice C Yu1
1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA, ucla.edu.
Abstract:
In this report, we present the unique case of an incidentally discovered hypopharyngeal mass later found to be papillary thyroid cancer in an 86-year-old woman with a past medical history of Parkinson's disease and papillary thyroid cancer. Though the patient presented with dysphagic and dysphonic symptoms, her history of Parkinson's disease, presenting symptoms of falls and weakness, and a lack of palpable nodules obscured the diagnosis. Our case emphasizes the importance of maintaining a high clinical index of suspicion for head and neck pathology in patients with a history of thyroid cancer to ensure early recognition of atypical disease presentations.
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