A case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus

Abstract

We reported a rare case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus, together with some bibliographical comments.
Ten years before, a 51-year-old female was pointed out an abnormal shadow on chest roentgenogram, and chest CT scan revealed an anterior mediastinal cystic tumor. But she did not receive further therapy.
Ten years before, a 51-year-old female was pointed out an abnormal shadow on chest roentgenogram, and chest CT scan revealed an anterior mediastinal cystic tumor. But she did not receive further therapy.
The patient underwent an operation via a median sternotomy. The tumor had invaded the left mediastinal pleura. It was removed in total with partial resection of the left mediastinal pleura. The cut surface was cystic, partially with a solid focus. From the pathological findings, the tumor was diagnosed as mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus, low-grade. CA19-9 levels in the cyst fluid were 260×10⁵ IU/ml. The postoperative course was entirely uneventful. The patient was discharged from the hospital on 22nd postoperative day. The elevated serum CA19-9 level normalized 2 months after the operation.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus is so rare that only 10 cases of the disease including this case have been reported in the Japanese literature.