Sun J, Yang QN, Guo Y, Zeng P, Ma LY, Kong LW, Zhao BY, Li CM. Multilocular thymic cysts can be easily misdiagnosed as malignant tumor on computer tomography: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2024; 12(8): 1474-1480 [PMID: 38576812 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i8.1474]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Chuan-Ming Li, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiology, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, No. 1 Jiankang Road, Chongqing 400014, China. licm@cqu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Mar 16, 2024; 12(8): 1474-1480 Published online Mar 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i8.1474
Multilocular thymic cysts can be easily misdiagnosed as malignant tumor on computer tomography: A case report
Jun Sun, Qing-Ning Yang, Yi Guo, Ping Zeng, Long-Yan Ma, Ling-Wen Kong, Bo-Ying Zhao, Chuan-Ming Li
Jun Sun, Qing-Ning Yang, Yi Guo, Ping Zeng, Chuan-Ming Li, Department of Radiology, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Chongqing 400014, China
Long-Yan Ma, Department of Pathology, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Chongqing 400014, China
Ling-Wen Kong, Bo-Ying Zhao, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Chongqing 400014, China
Co-first authors: Jun Sun and Qing-Ning Yang.
Co-corresponding authors: Yi Guo and Chuan-Ming Li.
Author contributions: Sun J and Yang QN drafted the manuscript; Guo Y and Li CM performed the final approval of the manuscript; Zeng P, Ma LY, Kong LW and Zhao BY collected the clinical, pathology and computer tomography data; All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Sun J and Yang QN contributed equally to this work as co-first authors; Guo Y and Li CM contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. The reasons for designating Guo Y and Li CM as co-corresponding authors are: First, the research was performed as a collaborative effort, and the designation of co-corresponding authorship accurately reflects the distribution of responsibilities and burdens associated with the time and effort required to complete the study and the resultant paper; Second, Guo Y and Li CM contributed efforts of equal substance throughout the research process. In summary, we believe that designating Guo Y and Li CM as co-corresponding authors is fitting for our manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chuan-Ming Li, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiology, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, No. 1 Jiankang Road, Chongqing 400014, China. licm@cqu.edu.cn
Received: December 8, 2023 Peer-review started: December 8, 2023 First decision: December 18, 2023 Revised: December 29, 2023 Accepted: February 18, 2024 Article in press: February 18, 2024 Published online: March 16, 2024 Processing time: 94 Days and 16.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Multilocular thymic cyst (MTC) is a rare mediastinal lesion which is considered to occur in the process of acquired inflammation. It is usually characterized by well-defined cystic density and is filled with transparent liquid.
CASE SUMMARY
We report on a 39-year-old male with a cystic-solid mass in the anterior mediastinum. Computer tomography (CT) imaging showed that the mass was irregular with unclear boundaries. After injection of contrast agent, there was a slight enhancement of stripes and nodules. According to CT findings, it was diagnosed as thymic cancer.
CONCLUSION
After surgery, MTC accompanied by bleeding and infection was confirmed by pathological examination. The main lesson of this case was that malignant thymic tumor and MTC of the anterior mediastinum sometimes exhibit similar CT findings. Caution is necessary in clinical work to avoid misdiagnosis.
Core Tip: Multilocular thymic cyst (MTC) is a rare mediastinal lesion, which is considered to occur in the process of acquired inflammation. It is usually characterized by well-defined cystic density and is filled with transparent liquid. Here we reported on a 39-year-old male with a cystic-solid mass in the anterior mediastinum. Computer tomography (CT) imaging showed that the mass was irregular with unclear boundaries. After injection of contrast agent, there was a slight enhancement of stripes and nodules. According to the CT findings, it was diagnosed as thymic cancer. After surgery, MTC accompanied by bleeding and infection was confirmed by pathological examination.
