Mediastinal Tumors

The mediastinum is the “middle area” in your chest. It separates the right lung from the left lung and contains the middle structures such as your heart, trachea, esophagus, and nerves.

There are four common mediastinal tumors in adults.

• Lymphoma
• Thyroid (often an enlarged gland or additional (ectopic) gland
• Thymic tumors (thymoma or thymic carcinoma)
• Teratoma and germ cell tumors (from cells of the ovaries and testes)

Many mediastinal tumors do not cause symptoms. Sometimes symptoms occur because the tumor has gotten so large it pushes on surrounding structures such as the heart, trachea, or esophagus.

The first step to diagnosis is an evaluation by your doctor including medical and family history, physical exam, and risk factor evaluation.

Many mediastinal tumors are found on an X-ray or CT scan performed for another reason.

Often mediastinal tumors require a biopsy to determine what they are. Sometimes they are resected and the patient is referred to a thoracic surgeon. A thoracic surgeon is a surgeon who specializes in treating diseases of the chest.

Want to know more? https://ctsurgerypatients.org/lung-esophageal-and-other-chest-diseases/mediastinal-tumors