What does a thyroid cyst mean?
Your daughter’s cyst sounds like a thyroglossal duct cyst. This is a defect which is present from birth but does not show itself until later in childhood, most commonly in preschools aged children or during mid adolescence, although it can appear at any age. It is not malignant (a cancerous tumour) and does not become malignant; the main problems are caused by it becoming infected or getting in the way of other structures in the neck. Your daughter’s thyroid gland developed when she was an embryo, moving down her neck through a canal called the thyroglossal duct. This duct should disappear but sometimes parts of the duct remain leaving pockets called cysts. These can fill with fluid or mucous; they may enlarge if they become infected. If very big, they can make swallowing or breathing difficult by blocking the throat. The commonest ways a thyroglossal cyst may show itself are: • as a small soft round lump in the front of the neck • a sore, red, swollen lump, if it becomes infected • a
