Mediastinal Cancer

Medistinal Cancer
It is a tumor that is formed in the cavity between the lungs and contains the heart, great vessels, trachea, thymus, and connective tissues.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
The mediastinum is the part of the chest between the sternum and the spine that contains the esophagus, trachea, heart and other important structures. The mediastinum is divided into three sections:
• Previous (front)
• Media
• Posterior (back)
Overall, mediastinal tumors are rare.
The location of these tumors within the mediastinum depends on to patient age. In children, tumors are more common in the posterior mediastinum and are often in the nerves and usually benign.
By contrast, most of these tumors in adults occur in the anterior mediastinum and are usually malignant lymphomas or thymomas (cancerous) that occur most commonly in people between 30 and 50 years of age.
Symptoms
Almost half of mediastinal tumors are asymptomatic and are detected in the X-rays performed for other reasons. When present, symptoms are related to compression of local structures and may include:
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Fever
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Coughing up blood (hemoptysis)
• Hoarseness
Signs and tests
Mediastinal tumors are first suspected during a medical history and during the physical examination, which may reveal:
• Fever
• Weight Loss
• Lymphadenopathy (swollen or tender lymph nodes)
• Wheezing
• Stridor
Further diagnostic evaluation typically includes:
• Chest X-rays
• Chest CT
• Chest MRI
• Biopsy CT-guided needle
• Mediastinoscopy with biopsy
Treatment
Treatment for mediastinal tumors varies with the type of tumor:
• If it is a thymic cancer, the best treatment is surgery followed by radiation and / or chemotherapy, depending on the stage of the tumor and the success of surgery.
• In the case of lymphoma, the treatment of choice is chemotherapy followed by radiation.
• In the case of posterior mediastinal neurogenic tumors, surgery should be performed.
Prognosis
The prognosis varies depending on the type of tumor. Each type reacts differently to chemotherapy and radiation.
Complications
Complications of mediastinal tumors include invasion of surrounding structures like the heart, the pericardium (the lining around the heart) and great vessels (aorta and vena cava). The compression of the spinal cord is a complication observed in tumors of the posterior mediastinum.
Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can cause serious complications.
Calling your health doctor
Call your health doctor if you have the symptoms of a mediastinal tumor.
Prevention
There is no prevention for the mediastinal tumors.