Surgical treatment of giant mediastinal tumors.

BACKGROUND

This study aims to evaluate the surgical treatment outcomes of giant mediastinal tumors.

METHODS

Between July 2013 and July 2018, medical data of a total of 31 patients (26 males, 5 females; mean age 27.7±8.2 years; range, 18 to 56 years) who underwent radical surgery for a giant mediastinal tumor in our center and 47 cases (26 males, 21 females; mean age 45.4±16.7 years; range, 19 to 62 years) of giant mediastinal tumors retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database were retrospectively reviewed. Two-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates of the patients were evaluated.

RESULTS

All patients underwent radical surgery (R0 resection). Symptoms caused by giant mediastinal tumors were relieved after radical surgery during follow-up. The two-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 100% and 86.7%, respectively, indicating a good prognosis. The surgical procedures for malignancies were more difficult than those for benign pathologies.

CONCLUSION

Radical surgery is the mainstay for treatment of giant mediastinal tumors to relieve symptoms in a short period of time and to achieve a good prognosis for up to two years, regardless of adjuvant therapy. The surgical route should be cautiously planned before radical surgery to reduce complications.