Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus incidentally diagnosed following two-years of non-productive cough

• Main Authors: Ryan Thibodeau, MD, MPH, Abtin Jafroodifar, MD, Marlon Coelho, MD, Benjamin Kaminski, BS, Lorenzo Gitto, MD, Daniel J. Zaccarini, MD, Ernest Scalzetti, MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-08-01
• Series: Radiology Case Reports
• Subjects: Anterior mediastinal mass; Mucoepidermoid carcinoma; Computed tomography; Positron emission tomography; Radiologic-pathologic correlation; Thymus
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043321002983
• ISSN: 1930-0433

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus is a rare primary thymic carcinoma. Radiologic imaging of this malignancy is rarely reported in literature. We present a patient who complained of a chronic cough for two years who was later found to have mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus. Chest radiograph revealed a large anterior mediastinal mass. Follow-up computed tomography of the thorax demonstrated a large, heterogeneous anterior mediastinal mass with traversing vessels. F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography demonstrated high avidity in the lesion with areas of diminished activity thought to represent necrosis. Following surgical resection, pathology revealed high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus extending into the skeletal muscle and pericardium with evidence of lymphovascular invasion. The patient received external beam radiation therapy and has remained disease-free for three years.