Thymic carcinoid tumor combined with thymoma--neuroendocrine differentiation in thymoma?
A carcinoid tumor of the thymus combined with thymoma in a 62-year-old man is described. The mediastinal tumor had been present for 13 years and was associated with pure red cell aplasia. Carcinoid tumor occupied the central two-thirds of the tumor, consisting of nests and trabeculae of monotonous round cells, which ultrastructurally showed many intracytoplasmic dense-core granules. Typical spindle cell type thymoma surrounded the carcinoid area. Clinico-pathologic findings of this unique case suggested that the carcinoid tumor developed within a preexisting thymoma, illustrating a possibility of neuroendocrine differentiation of thymic epithelial cells.
Cho
K J
KJ
Department of Anatomic Pathology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul.
Ha
C W
CW
Koh
J S
JS
Zo
J I
JI
Jang
J J
JJ
D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000473:pathology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*