A vocal cord palsy caused by the uterine cancer metastatic tumor in the mediastinum revealed in a patient with a thyroid lesion: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The main cause of vocal cord palsy (VCP) is idiopathic impairment of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). However, solid tumors along the pathway of the RLN can also impact the nerve's function. We presented a patient with a thyroid lesion and VCP due to a bulky metastatic mass (uterine cancer) on the aortic arch field in the mediastinum. The report aims to show the significance of comorbid tumors in thyroid pathology and the importance of additional diagnostic methods in avoiding unnecessary surgeries. A patient's lifetime and the outcome of the disease were also presented. CASE PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old Ukrainian woman with a hoarse voice, intermittent dry cough, and weakness was presented to an endocrine surgeon. Thyroid pathology included signs of hypothyroidism treated with Thyroxine 112.5 µg and a nodule in the left lobe. The lesion is located on the posterior aspect of the lobe, which could probably be a cause of RLN involvement. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) was performed twice with Bethesda category 2 result. Fibrolaryngoscopy (FLS) revealed the median position of the left vocal cord. Idiopathic, laryngeal, and thyroid causes of the VCP were excluded. Additionally, the patient displayed her anamnesis of the endometrial clear cell carcinoma following hysterectomy, external beam radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The mediastinal metastasis was revealed sixteen years later. A chest computed tomography (CT) with intravenous contrast was done. A bulky tumor was found right under the aortic arch. Subsequently, the voice complaints reduced significantly after 4 chemotherapy courses. Cancer progression had led to the appearance of lymph node metastases on the supraclavicular region. Following six months the 60-year-old patient had passed away. CONCLUSION: A history of the disease should always be kept in mind when assessing a patient's complaints. VCP in case of thyroid pathology and previous secondary malignancy may be caused by metastatic tumor anywhere along the RLN pathway. Such a rare case shows the importance of additional methods of examination which may avoid unnecessary thyroid surgeries.

Is this dyspnea because of coronary artery disease? A rare case report of primary neuroendocrine tumor in anterior mediastinum.

INTRODUCTION: Mediastinal neuroendocrine tumors are rare malignancies with aggressive behavior and a grim prognosis. These malignancies often go undetected until they are diagnosed at advanced stages. CASE REPORT: We present the case of 74 -years old man who was hospitalized because of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and in case of three vessels coronary artery disease, coronary bypass surgery was planned. During preoperative investigation, computer tomography revealed a huge tumor (20 cm × 11 cm × 21 cm in size) in the anterior mediastinum. Successful simultaneous operation coronary bypass surgery and removal of the mediastinal tumor was performed. DISCUSSION: Surgery is the treatment of choice for neuroendocrine tumors but the relapse rate ranges between 5% and 30% and is higher (65%) in atypical neuroendocrine tumors and patients with mediastinal node involvement. Despite the poor prognosis of neuroendocrine tumors, the spread to the lymph nodes, the patient continues chemotherapy treatment 49 months after the operation.

Resection of a huge mediastinal well-differentiated liposarcoma involving left thoracic cavity.

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal lipoma/liposarcoma is a rare tumor of the mediastinum. CASE PRESENTATION: This article reported one case of giant anterior superior mediastinum well-differentiated liposarcoma involving the left thoracic cavity with symptom of dysphagia. The mediastinum liposarcoma was completely resected through a left thoracotomy. Histologic examination and molecular pathological test clarified the diagnosis as well-differentiated mediastinal liposarcoma. There has been no evidence of recurrence during the 8 months follow-up. CONCLUSION: Molecular pathological examination of the MDM2, CDK4 and p16 gene in tumors provides the diagnostic gold standard in distinguishing well-differentiated liposarcoma from lipoma. Complete surgical resection is the first-line treatment choice for mediastinal lipoma/ liposarcoma.

Surgical treatment of posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors.

BACKGROUND: Posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors are among the most frequent mediastinal masses in adults. These tumors may be dumbbell shaped, extending into the spinal canal, exclusively paraspinal or apical tumors extending in the cervical region. In this report, we present our experience in the surgical resection of these tumors and discuss the surgical strategies for such tumors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of 121 patients who underwent surgery for posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors at our department during the period 2009 to 2016. Seventy-four tumors were excised via video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Other approaches included thoracotomy, supraclavicular incision, supraclavicular incision plus thoracotomy/VATS, and a posterior approach with laminectomy combined with thoracotomy/VATS. RESULTS: Tumors were resected completely in 119 cases and partially in two. The majority of the tumors were benign nerve sheath tumors. No recurrence developed during postoperative median follow-up period of 31 months. CONCLUSION: Most posterior neurogenic tumors can be resected via VATS. Thoracotomy is the appropriate surgical approach for large tumors. A supraclavicular approach is recommended for tumors extending in the cervical region, and this can be combined with VATS or thoracotomy in case of larger masses. A posterior approach could be used for patients with dumbbell tumors.

Surgical treatment of thoracic dumbbell tumors.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic dumbbell tumors are uncommon neoplasms arising from neurogenic elements of the posterior mediastinum. Surgical removal of these tumors with mediastinal, neuroforaminal and intraspinal components can often be challenging. The purpose of this study is to present our experience of single-stage removal of dumbbell tumors of the posterior mediastinum and to discuss the surgical strategies for such tumors. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was performed on 20 patients who underwent surgery for thoracic dumbbell tumors at our department during the period 2008 to 2016. Patient demographics, clinical features, operative reports, and pre- and postoperative images were reviewed. RESULT: Complete resection was achieved in all patients, with no postoperative mortality. Surgical excision was performed by laminectomy plus Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in 10 patients and laminectomy plus thoracotomy in 4 patients. Two patients underwent VATS alone. Supraclavicular and transthoracic approach was performed in 2 patients. Another 2 patients were treated with supraclavicular approach alone. The mean operative time was 244 min (range 55-370 min), with mean estimated blood loss (EBL) of 360 ml (range 50-790 ml). Postoperative complications included one case of Horner's syndrome and one case of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. At a mean follow-up of 29 months no patients showed recurrence of the tumor. CONCLUSION: Thoracic dumbbell tumors should be evaluated for intraspinal and neuroforaminal involvement. Single-stage posterior laminectomy plus VATS/thoracotomy, VATS/thoracotomy, and supraclavicular alone or combined with transthoracic approach all could be the preferred method for removing these dumbbell tumors with satisfactory outcomes.

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma of the mediastinum: A case report.

We report a 53-year-old man with metastases of alveolar soft-part sarcoma originated from the mediastinum. He was hospitalized due to lower extremities' paralysis. Computed tomography scan findings revealed multiple nodules of bilateral lungs, swollen mediastinal lymph nodes, and osteolysis of thoracic vertebrae. We performed spinal decompression and biopsy from vertebra. And, we finally diagnosed this case as metastases of mediastinal alveolar soft-part sarcoma which was removed 10 years ago. Alveolar soft-part sarcoma is rare tumor accounted for 0.5%-1.0% of soft tissue sarcoma that often occurs primarily in the lower extremities and trunk. It is difficult to distinguish between alveolar soft-part sarcoma and paraganglioma, renal cell carcinoma and granular cell tumor morphologically. Periodic acid-Schiff stain and immunohistochemical staining of ASPL-TFE3 are useful in making a definitive diagnosis of alveolar soft-part sarcoma. This case is a rare case of alveolar soft-part sarcoma originated in the mediastinum with local recurrence and distant metastases 10 years after the initial surgery.

Thymoma in middle mediastinum that induced tracheal compression-Case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: A thymoma, an epithelial neoplasm of the thymus, mainly occurs in the anterior mediastinum, while few are seen in the middle mediastinum. CASE PRESENTATION: An 83-year-old male was referred for an incidental mass in the middle mediastinum. He had severe dementia and denied symptoms. Our follow-up computed tomography (CT) examinations had revealed the progress of tracheal compression along with tumor enlargement for 2 years. At 85 years old, we performed a thymomectomy via a median sternotomy to avoid complete trachea obstruction. The pathological diagnosis was WHO type A thymoma, Masaoka stage II. One year after surgery, the patient was free of disease. DISCUSSION: Thymomas occurring in the middle mediastinum are rare. In our review of 13 such cases, none were Masaoka stage III or IV, while the majority (9/13, 69.2%) were WHO type A or AB. CONCLUSION: We encountered a thymoma in the middle mediastinum that showed enlargement over a 2-year period, inducing severe tracheal compression. Thymomas can occur widely in pharyngeal pouch-derived locations and should be considered in differential diagnosis of a middle mediastinum tumor.

Quiste broncogénico. Presentación de un caso / Bronchogenic cyst. Presentation of a case

Fundamentación: Los quistes broncogénicos constituyen el 10 % de las masas mediastinales en niños. Se presentan en la infancia en forma de distrés respiratorio. En niños mayores y adultos la forma de presentación es como sepsis respiratoria recurrente y con frecuencia cursan de forma asintomática, los que son diagnosticados a través de un hallazgo en una radiografía de tórax. Objetivo: Describir un caso clínico de quiste broncogénico, infrecuente en la edad adulta Presentación: Paciente de 55 años con antecedentes de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, hipertensión arterial y diabetes mellitus tipo II, remitida del área de salud al Hospital General “Camilo Cienfuegos” de Sancti Spiritus por cuadros de sepsis respiratoria recurrentes, asociados a disnea, tos húmeda y dolor torácico. En los estudios radiológicos se constató radiopacidad en parénquima pulmonar derecho, imagen sugestiva de quiste broncogénico. Se indicó tratamiento médico, se difirió el proceder quirúrgico por clasificarse como paciente de alto riesgo por sus antecedentes patológicos. Lo novedoso del caso es lo infrecuente del diagnóstico en pacientes adultos. Conclusiones: Los quistes broncogénicos son infrecuentes diagnosticarlos en edad adulta, pueden permanecer asintomáticos o complicarse en cualquier momento de su evolución con neumonías recurrentes o sepsis respiratorias más graves. Siempre se puede definir el diagnóstico en estos casos después de descartar la presencia de una neoplasia de pulmón, no siempre es posible la resección quirúrgica.

Background: The bronchogenic cysts constitute 10% of the mediastinum masses in children. They are presented in the childhood in form of breathing distress. In bigger children and adults the presentation form is as a recurrent breathing sepsis and frequently happen in an asymptomatic way, which are diagnosed through the discovery in a thorax x-ray. Objective: To describe a clinical case of bronchogenic cyst, uncommon in mature ages. Presentation: A 55 years old patient with antecedents of chronicle obstructive lung illness, arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, remitted by the area of health to the General Hospital "Camilo Cienfuegos" of Sancti Spiritus for recurrent clinical manifestations of breathing sepsis, associated to dyspnea, humid cough and thoracic pain. In the radiological studies radiopacity was verified in right lung parenchyma, suggestive image of bronchogenic cysts. Medical treatment was indicated, it was differed for surgical proceeding to be classified as patient of high risk by its pathological antecedents. The novelty of the case is the uncommon of the diagnosis in mature patients. Conclusions: The bronchogenic cysts are uncommon to diagnose them in mature ages, they can remain asymptomatic or to get complicated in any moment of their evolution with recurrent pneumonias or more serious breathing sepsis. It can always be defined the diagnosis in these cases after discarding the presence of a lung neoplasia, it is not always possible the surgical resection.

Single port VATS mediastinal tumor resection: Taiwan experience.

BACKGROUND: To present the technique of single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic mediastinal tumor resection, which includes limited thymectomy, extended thymectomy, cyst excision and posterior mediastinal tumor excision, and the early results of resection with the use of this technique. METHODS: Forty patients with mediastinal tumors were treated with single-port thoracoscopic mediastinal resection at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between April 2014 and September 2015. The surgical intervention was performed through the fourth or fifth intercostal space at the anterior axillary line. A 5 or 10 mm 30 degree video camera and working instruments were employed simultaneously at this incision site throughout the surgery. RESULTS: Among the 40 cases included in the final analysis, 10 extended thymectomies, 7 limited thymectomies, nine cyst excisions and 14 tumor excisions were performed successfully without the need for conversion. For the 40 patients who underwent single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), the mean operation time was 97.3±31.2 min and the average blood loss was 29.75±39.77 mL. The average length of the incision wound was 3.22±0.79 cm and the average length of postoperative hospital stay was 3.72±1.63 days. There were no mortalities and mobility was achieved within 30 days postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary report suggests that uniportal VATS for mediastinal tumor resection is a promising and safe technique within a short-term period.