Radiological features of thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma: case series and systematic review.

Purpose: To comprehensively summarize the clinical data and CT/MRI characteristics of thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma (TL-LGNPPA).

Methods: Twenty-seven lesions from 25 study articles identified through a systematic review and three lesions from our institution associated with TL-LGNPPA were evaluated.

Results: The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 35.7 years, and the male-to-female ratio was nearly half. The chief complaint was nasal obstruction, followed by epistaxis. All patients underwent excision. None of the patients had neck nodes or distant metastases. All patients survived with no locoregional/distant recurrence during 3-93 months of follow-up. All lesions were located at the posterior edge of the nasal septum, attached to the nasopharyngeal parietal wall, and showed no laterality. The mean lesion diameter was 1.7 cm. The margins of lesions were well-defined and lobulated, followed by well-defined smooth margins. None of lesions were associated with parapharyngeal space or skull base destruction. All lesions were iso- and low-density on non-contrast CT. Adjacent skull base sclerosis was detected in 63.6% of lesions. High signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging and mostly iso-signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging compared to muscle tissue. Most lesions were heterogeneous and exhibited moderate contrast enhancement. Relatively large lesions (≥1.4 cm) tended to be more lobulated than smooth margins compared to relatively small lesions (<1.4 cm) (p = 0.016).

Conclusion: We summarized the clinical and radiological features of TL-LGNPPA to facilitate accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.