Carcinoid tumor of the thymus associated with Cushing′s syndrome and dysgeusia: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

A 30-year-old man was hospitalized with edema, polyuria, and abnormalities in taste. ACTH and cortisol levels at admission were markedly elevated, even after attempted suppression with 8 mg dexamethasone. A thoracic-abdominal CT revealed an anterior mediastinal lesion and hyperplasia of both adrenal glands. After excision of the mediastinal mass, which confirmed the presence of a carcinoid thymic tumor, the patient became totally asymptomatic, with normal ACTH and cortisol levels. A carcinoid thymic tumor has a poor prognosis, especially when it is associated with Cushing's syndrome. Most patients will present recidivism or metastasis within 5 years after surgery. However, the low number of cases available for analysis makes it difficult to establish optimum therapeutic approaches.

A Case Report of Metastatic Atypical Thymic Carcinoid with Ectopic ACTH Production: Locoregional Control after Adaptive Radiation Treatment

“…At the second revision after mediastinoscopy, the tumor was finally identified as an atypical TC. The World Health Organization reclassified carcinoid tumors of the thymus according to specific histological criteria: stage 1, previously typical carcinoid or well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma; stage 2, previously atypical carcinoid or moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma; and stage 3, previously large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma or small-cell carcinoma 5,9 . Most TCs are atypical and more aggressive than the typical type [10][11][12] .…”