Hodgkin's Disease with a Giant Thymic Cyst

Abstract

An asymptomatic 26-year-old male was admitted to our hospital for examination of an abnormal mediastinal shadow on chest X-ray. Chest CT showed a large mass in the anterior mediastinum with marked para-aortic lymph node enlargement. The mass consisted mostly of multiloculated low-density areas surrounded by a rim of enhancing parenchymal tissue. Both the cystic tumor and surrounding lymphnodes were resected. The tumor measured 18×10×2cm and contained about 450ml of straw colored fluid. Pathological examination revealed a thymic cyst, the wall of which was composed of Hodgkin's lymphoma cells and nodular sclerotic lesions containing many lacunar cells and Reed-Sternberg cells.