| Mediastinal tumor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Micrograph of the primitive neuroepithelium of an immature teratoma of the mediastinum. H&E stain. | |
| Specialty | Oncology  |
A mediastinal tumor is a tumor in the mediastinum, the cavity that separates the lungs from the rest of the chest. It contains the heart, esophagus, trachea, thymus, and aorta. The most common mediastinal masses are thymoma (20% of mediastinal tumors), usually found in the anterior mediastinum, followed by neurogenic Timor (15–20%) located in the anterior mediastinum.[1] Lung cancer typically spreads to the lymph nodes in the mediastinum.
The mediastinum has three main parts: the anterior mediastinum (front), the middle mediastinum, and the posterior mediastinum (back). Masses in the anterior portion of the mediastinum can include thymoma, lymphoma, pheochromocytoma, germ cell tumors including teratoma, thyroid tissue, and parathyroid lesions. Masses in this area are more likely to be malignant than those in other compartments.[2][3]
Masses in the posterior portion of the mediastinum tend to be neurogenic in origin, and in adults tend to be of neural sheath origin including neurilemomas and neurofibromas.[1]
- ^ a b "Neurogenic Tumors of the Mediastinum". Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ Macchiarini P, Ostertag H (February 2004). "Uncommon primary mediastinal tumours". Lancet Oncol. 5 (2): 107–18. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(04)01385-3. PMID 14761815.
- ^ Davis RD, Oldham HN, Sabiston DC (September 1987). "Primary cysts and neoplasms of the mediastinum: recent changes in clinical presentation, methods of diagnosis, management, and results". Ann. Thorac. Surg. 44 (3): 229–37. doi:10.1016/S0003-4975(10)62059-0. PMID 2820323.