Benign lesions of the mediastinum: A review with emphasis on cytology and small biopsy specimens.

This review focuses on the diagnosis of select benign processes, ranging from reactive entities to heterotopic tissues to neoplasms, which may occur in the mediastinum. Currently, the mediastinum can be evaluated and biopsied with endoscopic procedures. Therefore, cytopathology specimens, fine needle aspirations, and small biopsies play an important role in the diagnosis of these lesions. In this review, an emphasis is given to relevant clinical presentations, histologic and cytologic findings, differential diagnoses, ancillary testing, and interpretation. Pitfalls are reviewed and discussed in each section. It is important for both surgical pathologists and cytopathologists to be familiar with these entities and their cytologic and histologic features that may be helpful in reaching a diagnosis.

A Unique Spectrum of Tuberculosis Flare Up Related to Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Three cases of tuberculosis (TB) related to or complicating cardiothoracic surgery are presented in this paper. The aim of this article is to alert cardiothoracic surgeons about the presence or rebound of TB, which can complicate cardiothoracic surgeries even in the immediate postoperative course.

A rare case of giant mediastinal thymolipoma in an 18-year man.

Thymolipoma is a rare benign thymic lesion that can manifest as a sizable anterior mediastinal mass. Considering their rarity and challenging preoperative diagnosis, it is crucial to consider these tumors when dealing with anterior mediastinal masses.

Symptomatic giant thymolipoma in a child.

Thymolipomas are slow-growing benign tumors arising from the thymus. They are rare in children, are usually asymptomatic, and can attain enormous size at diagnosis. Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CECT) scan characterizes the thymolipomas as a fat-attenuating lesions in the anterior mediastinum. Surgical excision provides relief from symptoms and is the definitive management. We report a case of a symptomatic giant thymolipoma in a 5-year child to highlight issues in diagnosis and management.

Two Thymomas of Different Histological Subtypes Arising in a Giant Thymolipoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Thymolipoma is a rare benign tumor of the anterior mediastinum. Only a few reports describing thymoma arising within a thymolipoma have been documented in the literature. We report herein a detailed description of thymolipoma giving rise to 2 thymomas of different histological subtypes. A 74-year-old male with history of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma gradually developed 2 soft tissue nodules within a large right hemithorax fatty mass that was present for the past 20 years. Computed tomography (CT)-guided needle biopsy revealed one of the soft tissue nodules to be a thymoma, and the entire mass was surgically resected. Final pathological examination demonstrated the mass to be a thymolipoma containing a micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma as well as a WHO type B1 thymoma. No evidence of disease recurrence was seen at the time of his 7-year follow-up. This case documents a rare presentation of thymolipoma harboring 2 thymomas of different histological subtypes and highlights the need for early surgical resection of thymolipomas, as they may harbor malignant nodules.

Thymolipomatous myasthenia gravis outcomes following thymectomy: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to evaluate the effect of thymectomy on the progression of thymolipomatous myasthenia gravis. METHODS: An electronic search performed across PubMed, MEDLINE and Web of Science databases included all article types. We included 15 series comprising 36 cases that met specific criteria, including case reports or case series related to thymolipoma with a myasthenia gravis association, where thymectomy was cited as the primary intervention with postoperative reporting of the prognosis and articles written in the English language. RESULTS: Our study included 17 men (47.2%) and 19 women (52.8%). Tumour sizes varied between 34 × 18 × 7 cm and 2.8 × 2.3 × 1.9 cm; the weight of the tumours ranged between 38 and 1780 g (mean 190, standard deviation 341). The surgical approaches were a median sternotomy in 29 patients (80.6%), a thoracotomy in 1 patient (2.8%), video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in 2 patients (5.6%) and unreported approaches in 4 (11.1%) patients. The disease was entirely resolved with complete, stable remission in 5 patients (13.9%); symptoms were improved in 19 (52.8%) and stable in 10 patients (27.7%). We identified 2 groups of patients according to their improvement post-thymectomy (improved group and group with no change). CONCLUSIONS: Although the cases were uncontrolled and did not demonstrate strong associations, they do support some hypotheses. We found a significant statistical difference between the 2 groups in terms of age, because younger patients tended to improve to a greater degree post-thymectomy. Also, we found that female patients with thymoma visible on the imaging scans were significantly associated with post-thymectomy myasthenia gravis improvement. REGISTRATION NUMBER IN PROSPERO: CRD42020173229.

Giant thymolipoma in a child: The silent chest mass.

Thymolipoma is a rare benign anterior mediastinal tumour of thymic origin containing both thymic and mature adipose tissues. In most cases it has a silent course and can grow to large sizes before presenting with respiratory symptoms. We report a case of a giant thymolipoma in a 4-year-old girl treated at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, South Africa.

Exceptional thyrolipoma and thymolipoma association: is there a syndrome?

Thyrolipoma and thymolipoma are rare neoplasms of the thyroid gland and thymus, respectively. Their simultaneous occurrence is exceptional. Up to now, only 2 cases have been reported in literature in 1966 and in 1997. For the first time, we report the occurrence of both neoplasms associated with myasthenia gravis in a 64-year-old woman. The value of this case report lies not only in the fact that it allows us to speculate on the presence of a syndrome but also because a complete radiological work-up (computed tomography scanner, magnetic resonance imaging, Positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)) is reported.

A thymoma or not a thymoma-that is the question: a case report.

Thymomas are malignant, epithelial tumors of the thymus of diverse morphology that may metastasize or relapse after resection. The WHO histological classification includes five main subtypes A, AB, B1, B2 and B3. Types A and AB usually harbour a specific GTF2I gene mutation. Thymolipomas are very rare, benign tumors composed of thymic parenchyma and adipose tissue. We present the case of a 37-year-old male with an incidentally found mediastinal tumor that shared morphological features of a thymoma of unknown histological type and a thymolipoma-like tumor. Microscopically the tumor contained three components: (I) a highly organoid component that reproduced the thymic parenchyma with numerous Hassall corpuscles; (II) a lymphocyte-poor, epithelial component; (III) mature adipose tissue. A wide panel of immunohistochemical tests was used, but the results were not decisive for differential diagnosis. Genetic analysis of GTF2I, BRAF and NRAS genes revealed no mutations. The tumor was completely resected. The patient did not receive adjuvant radiotherapy. A 1.5 years after resection there was no evidence of tumor recurrence. Based on our case we carefully analyse and compare the microscopic features of thymoma vs. thymolipoma. The differentiation between these tumors is crucial due to their distinct clinical course and required therapeutic approach.

A giant tumor of the mediastinum mixed with thymocytes and adipocytes: a case report.

A 17-year-old male was hospitalized for 6 months with chest tightness and shortness of breath. Chest CT showed large mixed density shadow of anterior mediastinum, multiple flaky fat density shadow, left lower lung compression, atelectasis, partial compression of right lung and obvious heart pressure. The patient's symptoms are caused by the compression of the heart and lung by the mediastinal mass. The results of routine examination were normal. After excluding surgical contraindications, the patient underwent resection of a huge mediastinal tumor before median thoracotomy. The operation was smooth and the intraoperative vital signs were stable. The symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath disappeared after operation. The size of the tumor tissue removed after operation was about 45×30×25 cm3 and the weight was about 3.7 kg. The pathological diagnosis was thymolipoma. Postoperative reexamination of chest CT showed that the heart and lungs returned to the normal position. In this case, the operation is effective for large thymic tumors, and the symptoms of the patients are significantly relieved. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment are the key to improve the prognosis of patients. In this study, we reported a successful removal of a giant thymolipoma with complete disappearance of symptoms and no serious complications such as myasthenia gravis, aplastic anemia, and vitamin B12 deficiency.

Thymolipoma and its Association with Myasthenia Gravis: a Multi-center Experience.

BACKGROUND: Thymolipoma is a rare benign thymic tumor that arises in the anterior mediastinum. It presents with non-specific symptoms such as chest pain and dyspnea due to compression of the tumor on surrounding structures. In addition, this tumor is associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, including myasthenia gravis. Such a relationship is still not understood and requires investigation. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the significance of myasthenia gravis in thymolipoma patients. METHODS: We present a series of 16 thymolipoma cases from multiple medical centers. Data extraction included demographic, diagnostic, radiological and laboratory, and clinical outcome variables. We also used the modified Osserman score to assess the severity of myasthenia gravis. RESULTS: Ten patients were males, and six were females; the sample mean age was 39.9 years (SD = 16.7). Upon presentation, 7/16 patients were asymptomatic, 4/16 patients had chest pain, and 2/16 had dyspnea. Seven patients were having myasthenia gravis; they experience generalized weakness (3/7), diplopia (2/7), ptosis (1/7), and bulbar weakness (1/7). Serum acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChRAb) was positive in 4 patients. All patients underwent thymectomy either via sternotomy or thoracotomy. After proper follow-up, only 2/7 of myasthenic patients had a complete remission of symptoms, no tumor recurrence was observed. CONCLUSION: Although the effect of using steroids in myasthenic patients on thymolipomic transformation still needs confirmation, diagnosis of thymolipoma should be kept in mind in myasthenic patients presenting with relevant symptoms and taking steroids. Furthermore, complete remission of myasthenic symptoms after removal of thymolipoma needs further investigation.

Rare mass of the anterior mediastinum: Thymolipomas.

Thymolipoma is a rare benign neoplasm of the thymus containing both mature adipose tissue and thymic tissue. We report a case of a 34-year-οld man, presenting a mass of the anterior mediastinum, the radiology investigation and operatory piece diagnosed a thymolipoma. This study highlights the clinical diagnostic and therapeutic features as well as the evolutionary characteristics of this entity.

Concurrent thyrolipomatosis and thymolipoma in a patient with myasthenia gravis: a case report and review of the literature.

We present a case of a man with a background of myasthenia gravis who presented with a neck lump, which was diagnosed as thyrolipomatosis in continuity with a very large thymolipoma. Following removal of these lesions, the patient's myaesthenic symptoms improved. While thymolipomas are often seen in the context of myasthenia gravis, thyrolipomatosis is a rare entity and to our knowledge the concurrent finding of both lesions with myasthenia gravis has never been reported. We highlight the important imaging features of both entities and the clinical importance of recognising them.

Thymic masses and mimics in adults: review of common and uncommon pathologies.

The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ that plays a key role in the immune system development. Normally, it is located in the anterior mediastinum and it changes tissue composition with progressive fatty involution with age. The spectrum of pathological processes involving the thymus include enlargement, tumour development, and cystic change. In addition, other local pathology can mimic thymic disease. Differentiating these entities can be challenging; however, recognizing key features on imaging is essential to appropriately guide further investigation and therapy. The focus of this pictorial review will be to highlight the important distinguishing features of thymic hyperplasia, thymomas, thymic cysts, thymic neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), thymolipomas, mediastinal teratomas, and other mimics of thymic disease. Knowledge of the varying imaging findings on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging is valuable for radiologists to appropriately classify disease, avoid misdiagnosis, and expedite therapy.

Thymoangiolipoma: A rare histologic variant of thymolipoma in a patient with myasthenia gravis.

Thymoangiolipoma is a rare, slow-growing, benign thymic neoplasm that arises from the anterior mediastinum. A 61-year-old man with the chief complaint of right eye ptosis and high serum acetylcholine receptor antibody level is presented here. The spiral computed tomography of the chest revealed a hypodense mass in the anterior mediastinum. Microscopic examination showed admixture of adipose tissue, thymic tissue and blood vessels with the diagnosis of thymoangiolipoma. Thymoangiolipoma is a rare histologic variant of thymolipoma which can be associated with myasthenia gravis and must be considered as a differential diagnosis in anterior mediastinal mass with fat density in radiologic evaluation.

Thymolipoma associated with lymphocytosis in a 6-year-old girl: A case report.

Thymolipoma is a benign and rare tumor that could be found at any age. Thymolipoma associated with the myasthenia gravis, Graves disease, aplastic anemia, and hypogammaglobulinemia was reported previously, but in this case, thymolipoma is associated with lymphocytosis. A 6-year-old girl was brought to the hospital because of a chronic cough. Her evaluation revealed a 130 × 160× 160 mm fat-containing soft tissue mass arising from anterior mediastinum with complete left lung collapse and contralateral mediastinal shift. Her past medical history showed that she had been evaluated and treated unsuccessfully due to severe lymphocytosis two years earlier. Her peripheral blood and bone marrow cell morphology were normal; in contrast, blood cell count and CD flow cytometry showed severe lymphocytosis. The patient's tumor was excised entirely without any complications, and lymphocytosis resolved during the follow-up period. Because the T lymphocytes are developed in the thymus, and more than 80% of cells in CD flow cytometry were T lymphocytes, and the lymphocytosis resolved with tumor removal; therefore, the authors suggested that Thymolipoma could be associated with lymphocytosis.

Rare cause of large anterior mediastinal mass--Thymolipoma.

BACKGROUND: Among the diverse causes of anterior mediastinal masses, thymolipoma is not a common entity. It largely comprises of adipose tissue and remnants of thymus tissue. Most patients are asymptomatic and are diagnosed incidentally. CASE SUMMARY: Sixty-six-year-old female presented to the Emergency Department with a week of worsening shortness of breath, palpitations, diarrhea, palpitations & over 30 kg of unintentional weight loss in the last 1 year. Her investigations were in line of thyrotoxicosis with other lab findings correlating to the disease. However, during investigations, a chest radiograph showed left lower zone opacity and on follow-up CT scan it was revealed to be a huge fatty mass comprising of soft tissues arising from the anterior mediastinum, pushing the left diaphragm inferiorly and the lower lobe of left lung was entirely collapsed. CONCLUSION: Thymolipoma can occur as a single entity and patients are often clinically asymptomatic. Biopsy is the definitive diagnostic tool, but it can also be challenging, especially if adequate samples are not obtained. CT scan can play an important role in supporting the diagnosis, with findings of fat containing structure arising from the anterior mediastinum along with internal fat stranding & nodularity. Treatment is surgical with excision of the entire mass.

The role of angiogenetic single-nucleotide polymorphisms in thymic malignancies and thymic benign lesions.

BACKGROUND: We previously showed that selected single-nucleotide-polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes involved in angiogenesis influence the aggressiveness of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs). This study analyzes their role in TETs and in thymic benign lesions, in order to investigate potential correlation with risk and outcome. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue of 92 patients, undergoing surgery at our Institution. We investigated by Real-Time PCR the SNPs of the following genes: platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFRα), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and 3 (VEGF-2, VEGFR-3), excision repair cross-complementation group-1 (ERCC1). RESULTS: Fifty-seven TETs and 35 thymic benign lesions were included into the study. Frequency of SNPs was as follows: rs2057482 C, rs11158358 C and rs11549465 C polymorphisms of HIF1-a: thymomas < general population (P=0.008, P=0.007, and P=0.044 respectively). HIF1-a alleles: general population > study groups, rs1951795C SNP (P=0.026 for benign lesions and P=0.0007 for thymomas), rs10873142T SNP (P=0.008 and P=0.001 respectively), rs12434438 A SNP (P=0.034 and P=0.0007) and rs2301113A SNP (P=0.027 and P=0.010). rs699947C polymorphism of VEGF-A: benign lesions > general population (P=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study investigating the angiogenetic polymorphisms in thymic benign lesions and TETs. SNPs analysis may represent a further asset in identification of patients who could benefit from anti-angiogenetic therapy.

A giant mediastinal thymolipoma: a rare pathological entity.

Thymolipoma is a rarely seen benign pathological entity of anterior mediastinum and constitutes of around 2-7% of thymic tumors. They usually present as soft tissue mass composed of mature adipose tissue and thymic tissue, which are clinically silent most of the time, i.e., the reason they reach to a larger dimension before diagnosis. Preoperaative diagnosis is always challenging for the thymolipoma. We wish to report a case of the soft tissue mass of anterior mediastinum in a young male, which on surgical exploration and final histopathological examination was diagnosed as thymolipoma.

Thymolipoma-associated Myasthenia Gravis with High Titer of Anti-MuSKAb: A Case Report.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular junction disorder caused by pathogenic autoantibodies to some parts of the post-synaptic muscle endplates. About 85% of generalized MG patients have autoantibodies against post-synaptic acetyl-choline receptors (AChR). From the 10-15% of the remaining patients, 45-50% are positive for Muscle Specific Tyrosine Kinase-Antibody (MuSK-Ab). It is believed that the thymus has a critical role in the pathogenesis of the disease with AChR-Ab, specially in patients with thymic abnormalities. In contrast, the role of thymus gland in MG with anti-MuSK-Ab is not clearly obvious. Patients with this antibody virtually have normal or only minimal follicular hyperplastic thymus. The presence of anti-MuSK Ab in a thymolipomatous (an uncommon tumor of thymus) MG is an atypical and new finding of MG because of not only thymolipoma but the presence of anti-MuSK antibodies which makes this case different from the previous reports of the antibodies-associated MG. Here, we present a young woman with thymolipoma and MG (a very uncommon kind of tumor-associated MG) and high level of anti-MuSK-Ab.