Mediastinal tumors in children: experience with 196 cases.
BACKGROUND
Mediastinal masses are relatively common in infants and children. These lesions are often neoplastic in origin and have a high risk of malignancy.


METHODS
This report concerns 196 infants and children with mediastinal tumors. Fifty-five cases (28%) were benign, and 141 (72%) were malignant. Diagnosis included Hodgkin's disease (47), neuroblastoma (46), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (37), teratoma (18), ganglioneuroma (14), cystic hygroma (11), Schwannoma (five), germ-cell tumors (three), lipoma (three), thymic tumor (three), malignant histiocytosis (two), neurofibroma (two), mesenchymal sarcoma (one), rhabdomyosarcoma (one), peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (one), hamartoma (one), and hemangioma (one). Diagnoses were usually made by assessing the patient's age, radiologic evidence of tumor location, the presence of calcium in the tumor, and the presence of tumor markers (alpha-fetoprotein, vanillmandelic acid, human chorionic gonadotropin). Diagnoses were verified by histologic evaluation. Resection was the only treatment for benign tumors. Biopsy and chemotherapy (and/or radiation) were employed for lymphoid tumors, and resection and adjuvant therapy were used for other solid malignancies.


RESULTS
Survival was achieved in 53 of 55 (96.3%) patients with benign tumors and 105 of 141 (74.4%) patients with malignant tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
Seventy-two percent of mediastinal tumors in this study were malignant. Early diagnosis followed by biopsy and chemotherapy for lymphoid tumors or resection of nonlymphoid tumors along with aggressive adjuvant therapy result in high survival rates (74.4%). Children with benign tumors almost always survive (96.3%) after resection.
Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
J L
JL
Grosfeld
M A
MA
Skinner
F J
FJ
Rescorla
K W
KW
West
L R
LR
Scherer
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D015996:Survival Rate