Primary mediastinal synovial sarcoma: A rare case report.
BACKGROUND
Synovial sarcomas commonly occur in the extremities of young adults. A primary occurrence in the mediastinum is very rare with only a few reported cases in the world literature. We report a case of mediastinal synovial sarcoma. This paper is about a 47-year-old male who presented with retrosternal chest pain and shortness of breath on exertion. Imaging showed an anterior mediastinal mass. Pathological examination of the resected mass showed a biphasic neoplasm with a spindle cell component admixed with gland-like elements. The tumor showed positive staining with cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen and vimentin confirming the diagnosis of a biphasic synovial sarcoma.


CONCLUSIONS
A wide range of neoplasms, both primary and metastatic, occur in the mediastinum, which pose considerable diagnostic difficulties. A synovial sarcoma should always be considered in the differential diagnosis, and immunohistochemistry is an important adjuvant tool in this situation.


CONCLUSIONS
This paper highlights the importance of recognizing an unusual presentation of this aggressive neoplasm to aid appropriate clinical management.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Science, Iran. Electronic address: ershadyr@yahoo.com.
Reza
R
Ershadi
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Science, Iran.
Mohamadbagher
M
Rahim
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Science, Iran.
Hamidreza
H
Davari
Immunohistochemistry; Mediastinal mass; Mediastinal synovial sarcoma