Presentation
Dyspnea, asthenia.
Patient Data
Enlarged right upper mediastinal contour.
There is an anterior mediastinal soft tissue mass that encases both distal brachiocephalic veins and the proximal superior vena cava. This mass heterogeneously enhances with foci of calcifications within. It further invades the lumen of superior vena cava. Thrombus is also noted in the right pulmonary artery. Small thrombi are also found in the most distal veins adjacent to the pericardium.
There are pulmonary metastases.
Presence of arteria lusoria.
CT-guided biopsy confirmed a thymoma.
Case Discussion
About 90% of cancers that develop in the thymus are thymomas. These tumors originate in the epithelial cells lining the thymus and often grow slowly, rarely spreading beyond the thymus itself. However, some thymomas are more aggressive and can spread to surrounding tissues and organs (lung and pleura). Thymomas mainly occur at 40 to 60 years of age, with no significant differences between men and women.