Primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the thymus: a case report and review of the literature.
Primary thymic mucinous adenocarcinoma is extremely rare; to our knowledge, only 2 cases have been reported to date. We describe a third case of primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the thymus in a 41-year-old man who presented with an anterior mediastinal mass with subsequent metastasis to the lung. The initial diagnosis was of metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma, but extensive clinical workup of the patient failed to reveal a primary tumor elsewhere in the body. The specific identification of mucinous adenocarcinoma as a primary thymic neoplasm can be difficult or impossible. Morphologic and immunophenotypic similarities to mucinous adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract can pose diagnostic challenges for surgical pathologists, especially in small biopsy specimens.
Kapur
Payal
P
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9073, USA.
Rakheja
Dinesh
D
Bastasch
Michael
M
Molberg
Kyle H
KH
Sarode
Venetia R
VR
D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000737:chemistry / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor