Mediastinal Tumor Treatment

What Are The Causes Of Mediastinal Tumors?

A lot of factors can cause different types of mediastinal tumors. These causes are often attributed to the tumors’ location.

Here are some of the major anterior (front) mediastinal tumors:

• Thymic Cyst and Thymoma – Thymic cyst and thymoma are the most common causes of a thymic mass. They are often benign and surrounded by a fibrous capsule.
• Lymphoma – This is a malignant tumor that includes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease.
• Germ Cell – These tumors are often benign and found in both males and females
• Thyroid Mass Mediastinal – This is another benign tumor, such as goiter, affecting the thyroid region.

Here are some of the major middle mediastinal tumors:

• Bronchogenic Cyst – This is a benign tumor originating in your respiratory system
• Pericardial Cyst – As the name suggests, this is a benign tumor located in the heart’s lining, resulting due to an out-pouching of the pericardium
• Lymphadenopathy Mediastinal – This is a tumor leading to the enlargement of your lymph nodes
• Tracheal Tumor – These are benign or malignant tumors forming in the trachea (windpipe)
• Esophageal Tumor – These are benign or malignant tumors forming in the esophagus

Here are some of the key posterior mediastinal tumors:

• Neurogenic Tumors – These are the most common type of posterior mediastinal tumors classified as ganglion cell neoplasms, paraganglionic cell neoplasms, or nerve sheath neoplasms. The majority of these tumors are benign.
• Lymphadenopathy – This tumor leads to the enlargement of your lymph nodes.
• Extramedullary Haematopoiesis – This rare form of masses originates from bone marrow expansion. It is often associated with severe anemia.
• Neuroenteric Cyst – This is a rare tumor involving gastrointestinal and neural elements.

Mediastinal Tumor Symptoms

Nearly 40% of people suffering from mediastinal tumors experience little to no symptoms. Most of these issues are often diagnosed using chest X-rays done for different purposes, leading to mediastinal tumor treatment.

Here, most symptoms occur due to the pressure exerted by the tumors onto their surrounding structures, such as the heart, spinal cord, or pericardium.

A few noticeable symptoms of mediastinal tumors include:

• Shortness of breath
• Excessive cough
• Fever
• Chest pain
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Hoarseness
• Blood in cough
• Sudden weight loss
• Drooping eyelids
• Small pupils

Mediastinal Tumor Diagnosis

If you or any of your family members experience prolonged symptoms, make sure you visit your doctor. Doctors generally perform the following tests and procedures to diagnose mediastinal tumors:

• Blood tests
• Ultrasound
• CT scan with IV contrast
• Needle biopsy
• Chest X-rays
• Chest MRI
• Esophagoscopy
• Bronchoscopy
• Mediastinoscopy with biopsy

Mediastinal Tumor Treatment

Once the issue is diagnosed, your doctor will suggest the right treatment procedure to follow. Mediastinal tumor treatment depends on the type of tumor and its location.

Here are a few important aspects to consider when it comes to mediastinal tumor treatment:

• Generally, thymomas call for surgical resection and possible radiotherapy that follows. Doctors often accomplish this using minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic resection or thoracoscopy. They may also use median sternotomy (an open surgery that involves splitting the breastbone.
• Thymic tumors often require mediastinal tumor surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.
• Once lymphomas are diagnosed, they are treated with chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy.
• Neurogenic tumors found in the posterior mediastinum can be surgically treated.
• Doctors may also suggest treating non-cancerous and non-harmful masses by monitoring them over time (watchful waiting).