Metastatic thymoma to the head and neck.

Malignant thymoma is a mediastinal tumor which spreads primarily by local invasion. Spread to regional lymph nodes and distant organs is variable. The most common sites of metastasis in the head and neck region are the supraclavicular nodes and the brain. Cervical lymph node metastasis as the presenting symptom of malignant thymoma has not yet been reported in the otolaryngologic literature. We present three cases of metastatic thymoma to the neck from a series of 28 thymomas, ten of which were malignant. The clinical presentation, histopathological features, therapy, and prognosis of malignant thymomas are discussed.