Long-term survival in a case of anaplastic carcinoma of the thymus

Abstract

A 29-year-old man presented with a cough. A chest X-ray demonstrated a mass lesion in the right hilum, and computed tomography (CT) showed this mass was located in the anterior mediastinum. CT-guided needle biopsy was performed and histopathological examination of the tumor allowed an invasive thymoma Masaoka stage III. Complete curative surgical resection was not possible because the tumor had already invaded the surrounding tissues giving rise to pericarditis carcinomatosa. Pathological examination of the surgical specimen demonstrated anaplastic thymic carcinoma. After surgery, the patient received systemic chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy of 50Gy to the anterior mediastinum. Patients with anaplastic thymic cancer usually have a poor prognosis; however, this patient has remained well since surgery with no distal metastasis.