Background: Myelolipoma is an uncommon tumor comprising adipose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells and mainly occurs in the adrenal cortex. Mediastinal myelolipoma is very rare; we report a case of posterior mediastinal myelolipoma that required surgical resection. Case Presentation: A 56-year-old male was diagnosed with a posterior mediastinal tumor by computed tomography. The tumor was originally noted in 2005, and during follow-up in March 2014, it was found to have increased in size. During consultation at our hospital, on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we considered the possibility that the tumor was malignant. Consequently, we resected the tumor by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). The histopathological findings revealed that the tumor had undergone intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis. However, after considering the patient's background and histopathological findings, we diagnosed the tumor as a thoracic extra-adrenal myelolipoma. Conclusions: Pathological analysis was instrumental in clarifying the diagnosis. We recommend surgery as a treatment option for posterior mediastinal tumors.
BackgroundPulmonary metastases of thymomas are relatively rare. We report on two patients who underwent surgery for resection of pulmonary metastases.Methods and resultsOne patient was a 74-year-old man. A chest CT scan showed a mediastinal mass and a hilar nodule in the left lung. The patient underwent surgical resection of both of these lesions. The histological diagnosis was type A thymoma with intrapulmonary metastasis, classified as stage IVb. He did not receive any adjuvant therapy following the operation because the resection was complete. There has been no evidence of recurrence in four years.The other patient was a 68-year-old man with myasthenia gravis. At the age of 61 years, he underwent extended thymectomy with combined resection of the surrounding involved structures. The histological diagnosis was type B3 thymoma, stage III. Adjuvant radiation (40 Gy) was administered postoperatively; however, a pulmonary nodule occurred seven years following the initial operation (patient age, 68 years). He subsequently underwent right lower lobectomy and a diagnosis of intrapulmonary metastasis of thymoma was made. There has been no evidence of recurrence in two years.ConclusionsLong-term follow-up is important to detect recurrence in any cases of thymoma. Lung metastases should be operated upon if they appear to be completely resectable and this can achieve long-term survival.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.