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.