Vol.98 No.7 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 98 No. 7 July 2005
A Case of Thymoma in the Neck (Cervical Thymoma)
Toshihiro Nagato, Tatsuya Hayashi, Kan Kishibe, Isamu Kunibe,
Akihiro Katada, Satoshi Nonaka and Yasuaki Harabuchi
(Asahikawa Medical College)
Thymoma is one of the most common neoplasms of the mediastinum and is the most frequent tumor in the anterosuperior compartment. However, it is a comparatively rare tumor in the neck. We report a case of thymoma in the neck (cervical thymoma).
A 35-year-old female had a tumor on the left side of the anterior neck. We suspected a thyroid tumor before surgery. A transcervical approach was adopted for complete resection of the tumor. The tumor was located just beneath the left lower lobe of the thyroid and well encapsulated. Histologically, the tumor showed a mixed proliferation of lymphocytes and epithelial cells. Histological examination demonstrated non-invasive thymoma.
Otolaryngologists should keep cervical thymoma in mind when they examine patients with a tumor in the neck.
Key words : thymoma, neck, cervical thymoma