Abstract
We have recently treated three patients with carcinoma of the thymus. A 63-year-old man complained of hoarseness, dry cough and mild dysphagia. The tumor had markedly invaded the trachea, esophagus and surrounding structures and required palliative resection. Histologecally, the tumor was squamous cell carcinoma. The second patient was a 60-year-old man who complained of pain and dullness of the right upper arm and a right supra clavicular nodule. The tumor was at the junction of the right superior and posterior mediastinum and the neck. Partial resection of the tumor was performed because marked invasion of the mediastinum was evident. Clear cell carcinoma of the thymus was noted histologically. The third patient was a 44-year-old man with no complaints. An encapsulated tumor was located anterior to the carina but posterior to the SVC. The tumor was completely resected at operation. The histological diagnosis was undifferentiated carcinoma of the thymus. A review of previously reported cases indicates that carcinomas of the thymus frequently invade surrounding strctures and that they show various morphological features. Therefore, in many cases diagnosis and selection of therapy are difficult. Our hope is that discussion of this subject will increase, enabling physicians to acquire a clearer concept of the diagnosis and therapy of carcinomas of the thymus.
