Spontaneous rupture of thymoma

Sinyagovskiy, Pavel; Abdalla, Mohammed; Raja, Ahmad; Abdelghani, Amro

doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2018.11.008

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A rupture of a thymoma is extremely rare. According to previous case reports, most patients with ruptures thymoma experience sudden chest pain or dyspnea ( 4 , 5 ), accompanied by bleeding from the tumor and demonstrated a hemothorax. That was induced and required an emergency surgical resection ( 6 , 7 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Rupture of thymoma due to recurrent tumor hemorrhage: a case report

Uebayashi¹,

Ema²,

Oiwa³

et al. 2023

AME Case Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Rupture of a thymoma is rare, and due to its rarity, the mechanism of rupture remains unclear. Here we report a case of a ruptured thymoma that ruptured due to an increase in the intratumoral pressure caused by recurrent hemorrhaging. Case Description A 70-year-old woman presented 2 days prior persistent right chest and shoulder pain. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed the presence of a mass occupying the anterior mediastinum and a right pleural effusion. It was diagnosed as an anterior mediastinum tumor. The increase in the levels of inflammatory markers and tumor necrosis observed on CT were suggestive of infection. As the general status of the patient was stable and she initially received antibiotic medical therapy, an improvement in the inflammatory marker levels was observed with antibiotic therapy. A surgical resection was performed 10 days after admission. Median sternotomy revealed a tumor extending from the mediastinum to the right thoracic cavity. Since the adhesion was strong and tumor invasion was suspected, the tumor was completely resected by combining a partial resection of the right middle and lower lobes with the pericardium. Pathological examination revealed that the tumor was a type B2 thymoma with fibrosis, necrosis, hemosiderosis, and hemorrhaging, suggesting recurrent hemorrhaging within the tumor. Conclusions Based on the findings of our case, recurrent hemorrhaging within the tumor led to an increase in the intratumoral pressure and chronic inflammation and necrosis weakened the tumor wall. These changes contributed to the subsequent rupture.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Rupture of thymoma due to recurrent tumor hemorrhage: a case report

Uebayashi¹,

Ema²,

Oiwa³

et al. 2023

AME Case Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

When to suspect a thymoma: clinical point of view

Minervini¹,

Kocher²

2020

J Thorac Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The thymus plays a crucial role in the development of immune system, regulating the maturation, selection and migration of T lymphocytes. Alterations in lymphatic content and structure of the thymus are observed in many autoimmune diseases. Moreover, changes of the epithelial component may cause the development of thymic tumours. Thymoma is a rare epithelial tumor of the anterior mediastinal compartment with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. The causes of thymoma are still unknown and several hypotheses have been formulated. Thymomas show a variable course causing, frequently, a prolonged clinical history. The presence of metastasis at the time of diagnosis is very uncommon. Even if about 30% of the patients with thymoma are asymptomatic, they may have local symptoms (such as cough, pain, hoarseness, and dyspnea) or paraneoplastic disorders. The role of immune system in the pathogenesis of these tumors and related paraneoplastic syndromes is not completely clear. A clinical diagnosis, especially if the first manifestation is a thymoma-associated paraneoplastic disease, is not always easy and should be supported by an appropriate imaging in order to guide the proper management for each patient. In this article, we would like to give an overview of the local and systemic clinical manifestations, which can be found in patients affected by thymoma.

show abstract