Middle mediastinal paraganglioma presenting increased serum CEA associated with essential thrombocythemia ; a case report

Abstract

A 54-year-old female had been treated by chemotherapy for essential thrombocythemia and was admitted to our hospital for a middle mediastinal mass detected on chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scan. On admission platelet count was 270, 000/mm³ and CEA was 380 ng/ml. The tumor was resected and the histological diagnosis was paraganglioma. The tumor cells were positive for the CEA stain. After surgical therapy, the serum CEA returned to normal range. Only 23 cases of mediastinal paraganglioma are reported in Japan, and this case presenting high serum CEA is the first report in the literature.