Primary squamous carcinoma of the thyroid.

Primary squamous carcinoma ofthe thyroid gland is a rare condition accounting for less than 1% of all thyroid malignancies."12 Although most frequently seen in the fifth and sixth decades, the tumour may arise in patients across a wide age distribution.3 Squamous carcinoma of thyroid is associated with a poor prognosis, most patients dying within one year of diagnosis.1'3 Overall, metastatic squamous carcinoma involving the thyroid is more common than the development of a primary tumour. It is therefore mandatory, when squamous carcinoma is identified within the thyroid, to exclude the possibility ofa primary tumour elsewhere before concluding that the neoplasm is arising de novo within the gland.