Abstract
A 16-year old male, complaining of edema of the face and neck, was admitted to our hospital. Chest X-ray and chest CT scan revealed a huge mass at the anterior mediastinum. We recognized an oncologic emergency with superior vena cava syndrome and airway obstruction. With the core needle biopsy under local anesthesia we were unable to get a histological diagnosis. Therefore we performed open biopsy under general anesthesia and diagnosed seminoma accurately. Chemotherapy using cisplatin and etoposide was most effective.
For a massive anterior mediastinal tumor developing into an oncologic emergency, open biopsy under general anesthesia followed by the best protocol of chemotherapy was effective.
