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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
09:55
Generation and Quantitative Characterization of Functional and Polarized Biliary Epithelial Cysts
Published on: May 16, 2020
Branchial cleft cyst carcinoma: myth or reality?
B Singh1, A N Balwally, K Sundaram
1Department of Otolaryngology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, USA.
The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology
|July 11, 1998
Summary
Branchial cleft carcinoma diagnosis remains debated. This study reviews criteria, adding two new cases and proposing diagnostic and management modifications for this rare cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Head and Neck Surgery
- Pathology
Background:
- Branchial cleft carcinoma (BCC) has faced diagnostic skepticism since its initial description.
- Established diagnostic criteria from 1950 require histologic proof of carcinoma originating from normal cyst epithelium.
Observation:
- A literature review identified 43 cases of BCC, with only 7 meeting all established criteria.
- Two new cases are presented: patients with childhood cervical cyst infections who later developed BCC.
Findings:
- The study confirms the rarity of BCC that meets all stringent diagnostic criteria.
- The addition of two cases strengthens the evidence for BCC's existence and clinical presentation.
Implications:
- A minor modification to the 1950 diagnostic criteria is proposed.
- A new paradigm for the diagnosis and management of branchial cleft carcinoma is suggested.
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