A case report: primary thymic adenocarcinoma with enteric differentiation

Abstract

A 38-year-old man was pointed out as showing irregularities on a chest radiograph during a medical checkup at his company. He was referred to our hospital for further examinations. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a large 12-cm-diameter tumor in the anterior mediastinum. CT-guided biopsy was performed and he was diagnosed with thymic adenocarcinoma. He underwent extended thymectomy. The tumor was diagnosed as primary thymic adenocarcinoma with enteric differentiation. Primary thymic adenocarcinoma of the enteric type is extremely rare. Thymic cancer is an unfavorable disease and there is no established standard treatment for advanced-stage cases. However, as for the enteric type, possibilities of an improved prognosis have been suggested, and so it is hoped that more cases will be collected to illustrate the characteristics of the enteric type.