Background: Branchiogenic carcinoma occurs only rarely. A pathologic description and post-operative adjuvant therapy with carboplatin (CBDCA) and daily oral 5-fluorouracil (UFT) are analysed.

Case report: We present the case of a 52-year-old man with a lateral neck mass lesion. A fine-needle aspiration was performed and cytological examination showed class IV disease. The patient underwent excision of the mass and an intra-operative rapid pathological diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma was made; we then went on to perform neck dissection. The patient received post-operative radiation therapy (total 64 Gy) and chemotherapy (CBDCA 100 mg/week and UFT 300 mg/day). He was followed up for 62 months after surgery without any evidence of recurrence of cancer.

Conclusion: This case satisfies the histological criteria established by Martin and Khafif for a primary branchiogenic carcinoma. The management would be wide surgical excision of the tumour, including neck dissection, followed by adjuvant therapy, such as chemoradiation. As post-operative adjuvant therapy for primary branchiogenic carcinoma, chemoradiotherapy with carboplatin and UFT was a safe and well tolerated regimen.