Thymic carcinoid with intratumoral hemorrhage ; a case report

Abstract

A 61-year-old male was admitted for further examination of an anterior mediastinal mass noted on routine chest X-rays. With a presumptive diagnosis of thymoma, total thymectomy with dissection of regional lymph nodes was performed. The cut surface of the tumor in the thymus, 12 × 8 × 7 cm in size, was spongy with marked hemorrhage and scattered solid foci. Microscopically, the tumor cells in the solid foci formed a trabecular pattern, and in the spongy area, islands of the tumor cells with mitotic figures were surrounded by massive interstitial hemorrhage. The tumor cells were stained with the Grimelius silver impregnation technique. The diagnosis was carcinoid tumor of the thymus. We discuss the mechanism of intratumoral hemorrhage on the basis of the histopathological findings.