Primary thyroid-like papillary adenocarcinoma of the nasopharynx

Thyroid-like papillary adenocarcinoma is an extremely rare neoplasm in the nasopharynx. We present a case with a pedunculated tumor in the nasopharyngeal vault and the preoperative biopsy revealed a thyroid-like papillary adenocarcinoma. Complete tumor resection via modified facial translocation was undergone subsequently. Postoperative histopathological examinations and immunohistochemical studies confirmed the diagnosis. Regarding the association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the tumor was negative for both small EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) and EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) oncogene. This rare neoplasm demonstrated a distinct etiology and nature from typical nasopharyngeal carcinomas and should be managed mainly by surgical resection.