A case is presented of a posterior mediastinal mass arising in a 57-year-old woman with severe compressive cervical symptoms and hyperthyroidism. Computed tomography showed intrathoracic thyroid tissue that displaced the trachea towards the front and the right and invaded the posterior mediastinum. Pathological examination showed features of a poorly differentiated (insular) thyroid carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a posterior mediastinal insular thyroid carcinoma with thyroid hyperfunction.