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Case Reports
. 2024 Jul 31;3(1):212-215.
doi: 10.1016/j.atssr.2024.07.016. eCollection 2025 Mar.

Cystic Thymoma Masquerading as Simple Pericardial Cyst

Jennifer M Nishimura  1 , Camille Yongue  2 , Fang Zhou  3 , Stephanie H Chang  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Cystic Thymoma Masquerading as Simple Pericardial Cyst

Jennifer M Nishimura et al. Ann Thorac Surg Short Rep. .

Abstract

Cystic degeneration of thymoma can occur, although rarely to the extent that the lesion appears entirely cystic. We present a case of a 26-year-old man with a large anterior mediastinal cyst that was resected with histopathologic examination revealing a cystic thymoma.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chest computed tomography demonstrating a cystic mass in the anterior mediastinum.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Type B1 thymoma resembles normal thymus but shows solid growth. (A) The thymoma is seen on the inner surface of the cyst (right side of figure); benign thymic tissue is seen on the outer aspect of the cyst (left side of figure). A medullary island is seen in the thymoma (arrow; hematoxylin and eosin stain, magnification ×20). (B) Similar to normal thymus, a B1 thymoma contains dispersed epithelial cells (arrowheads) in a dense background of thymic T cells (hematoxylin and eosin stain, magnification ×200).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Immunostains (magnification ×200). The epithelial cells in the thymoma are positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 (A), which shows a delicate lacelike network pattern, and p40 (B). The thymic lymphocytes are positive for CD3 (C) and TdT (D).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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