Anterior mediastinal mass

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An anterosuperior mediastinal mass can be caused by neoplastic and non-neoplastic pathology. As their name suggests, they are confined to the anterior mediastinum, that portion of the mediastinum anterior to the pericardium and below the level of the clavicles.

The differential diagnosis for an anterior mediastinal mass includes:

thymus
- thymoma: most common primary neoplasm of the anterosuperior mediastinum
- invasive thymoma
- thymic carcinoma
- thymolipoma/thymoliposarcoma
- thymic cyst
- thymic hyperplasia
- thymic carcinoid
thyroid and parathyroid
lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- non-Hodgkin lymphoma
germ cell tumours
- mediastinal teratoma
  - mature: 75% of mediastinal germ cell tumours
  - immature
  - teratocarcinoma (malignant teratoma)
- mediastinal seminoma
- mediastinal embryonal carcinoma
- mediastinal yolk sac tumour
- mediastinal choriocarcinoma
- mediastinal mixed cell type germ cell tumour
thoracic aortic aneurysm

Mnemonic

the 5 Ts

~~-<li><a title="Mediastinal choriocarcinoma" href="/articles/mediastinal-choriocarcinoma">mediastinal choriocarcinoma</a></li>~~
~~-<li>mediastinal mixed cell type germ cell tumour</li>~~
+<li><a href="/articles/mediastinal-choriocarcinoma">mediastinal choriocarcinoma</a></li>
+<li><a title="Mediastinal mixed cell type germ cell tumour" href="/articles/mixed-germ-cell-tumour-of-the-mediastinum">mediastinal mixed cell type germ cell tumour</a></li>

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Anterior mediastinal mass

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