ABSTRACT
Thymomas are neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum and generally occur between the fourth and sixth decades of life. In children, they are rare, with few reported cases. We describe a 9-year-old boy with invasive thymoma treated successfully by surgery alone. The patient was previously healthy and under treatment for a community-acquired pneumonia. A chest radiograph showed an opacity at the left lung base, and thoracic computed tomographic scan showed a mass with thick walls and liquid content situated in the lingula with no cleavage plane with the mediastinum. The patient underwent a left anterolateral thoracotomy, which showed a mass extending from the anterior mediastinum, infiltrating the left upper lobe of lung, phrenic nerve, and pericardium. A left upper lobectomy and resection of the mediastinal mass and lymph nodes were carried out. The pathologic analysis showed it to be a type B3 fusiform-cell thymoma, infiltrating the left upper lobe and 1 peribronchial lymph node. A multidisciplined tumor group decided to observe the patient and followed with thoracic computed tomographic scans every 3 months. After 2 years of follow-up, the patient has no evidence of recurrent disease.
