2017 Volume 53 Issue 1 Pages 110-114
Invasiveness and safety are serious issues when considering surgical treatment for a giant mediastinal tumor. We present here 2 cases of giant mediastinal tumor surgically treated by partial median sternotomy (PMS). In case 1, a 13-year-old female presented with dyspnea and chest pain to her previous physician. A computed tomography scan demonstrated a mediastinal tumor with a maximum diameter of 8 cm. She was shortly thereafter referred to our hospital. We suspected a mature teratoma and resected the tumor by PMS. No adjuvant chemotherapy was performed. The patient presented an excellent esthetic outcome and showed no sign of recurrence 3 years after the operation. In case 2, a 15-year-old male, presented with fever and coughing to his previous physician. A computed tomography scan demonstrated a mediastinal tumor with a maximum diameter of 16 cm. The patient was referred to our hospital. Because a germ cell tumor was suspected on the basis of elevated levels of markers, chemotherapy was administered. The tumor decreased in size to 7 cm in maximum diameter and was resected by PMS. Adjuvant chemotherapy was also administered. The patient is currently doing well without any sign of recurrence. In summary, PMS is a safe and effective approach for resecting mediastinal tumors, and should be considered as one of the options in the surgical treatment of this condition.
