Mediastinal Tumor : Analysis of 27 Cases

Until September, 1971, 27 cases of mediastinal tumor including 7 of thymic hyperplaia were treated in our clinic. 1) Thirteen of these patients were men, and 14 were women. Their age ranged from 4 months to 68 years. The majority of them (70 per cent) were in the third, fourth, and fifth decades. 2) Eight patients had no symptoms. Of the remaining 19 patients, symptom of myasthenia gravis was present in 6 patients, respiratory disturbance in 5, chest pain in 5, superior vena caval syndrom in 4, hoarseness in 2, and symptom of pure red cell aplasia in 1. There were 7 patients with thymic hyperplasia, 5 with teratoma, 3 with malignant thymic neoplasma, 3 with ganglioneuroma, 3 with malignant lymphoma, and 2 with pericardial cyst. In the remaining 4, the tumor was clinically verified to be malignant, although histological examination was not available. Unlike malignant tumors, the majority of benign ones except thymic hyperplasia did not cause clinical manifestations. 3) The majority of tumors with ragiologic apperances demonstrating to grow bilaterally (3 or 3. 100 per cent) or leftward (4 or 5, 80 per cent) on the frontal projection were mailignant. Of 12 tumors growing rightward, malignancy was present only in 3 (25 per cent). The localization of tumor in the mediastinum was done on the lateral view. Six of 9 in anterior superior mediastinum (66.6 per cent), and both of 2 in the middle (100 per cent) were malignant