Transsternal thymoma resection

Abstract

Thymomas are traditionally regarded as tumours arising from the epithelial cells of the thymus. They are the second most frequent mediastinal tumour in the adult and show a variable clinical presentation and clinical course. Complete surgical resection should be the gold standard. The preferred approach is complete median sternotomy and an extended thymectomy is usually performed. A multimodality approach should be considered for invasive lesions or tumours giving intrathoracic metastases.