1993 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 185-193
A 55-year-old male case of malignant thymoma in which the initial condition was pericarditis followed by pleuritis and endobronchial metastasis after 1 year was reported. Although a definitive diagnosis was not obtained pathologically, the pericarditis and pleuritis was thought to be due to direct invasion of malignant thymoma. Both primary and bronchial lesions were diagnosed pathologically and the endobronchial lesion was thought to be metastatic from the primary lesion from the findings of computed tomography. After partial remission following combination chemotherapy, the patient was treated with curative radiation therapy mainly to the mediastinum. The primary lesion revealed no remarkable change in size during a period of one year and serositis was also controlled by direct local chemotherapy. Intensive chemotherapy is recommended to prolong the life of patients with malignant thymoma with invasion and/or metastasis. Adjuvant therapy such as G-CSF might be recommended in the future. This patient died of recurrence of pericarditis and of multiple organ failure caused by metastasis to the liver.
