Case Series
AB048. Thymoma in children, a rare mediastinal tumour: pathological case series of 6 cases and review of the literature
Rahma Ayadi1,2,3, Rahma Yaiche1,2,3, Yasmine Dhouibi1, Emna Braham1,2, Olfa Ismail1,2, Nadia Ben Jamaa1,3, Aida Ayadi1,2,3
1Pathology Department, Abderrahmen Mami Hospital, Ariana, Tunisia;
2Research Laboratory, Ariana, Tunisia;
3Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia
Correspondence to: Rahma Ayadi, MD. Pathology Department, Abderrahmen Mami Hospital, Rue de l’Hôpital, 2080 Ariana, Tunisia; Research Laboratory, Ariana,Tunisia; Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia. Email: rahma.ayadi@fmt.utm.tn.
Background: Mediastinal tumours in children are rare. Around 25% of them can be malignant. The thymoma is an uncommon neoplasm, and during adulthood it corresponds to 30% of anterior mediastinum tumours. The peak incidence is between 55–65 years. The aim of this study was to describe clinicopathological characteristics of this entity with literature review.
Case Description: Between 2004 and 2024, six children with thymomas were diagnosed at our department of pathology. Hospital files were reviewed for presenting complaints, clinical, radiologic, and pathological characteristics. There were 2 male and 4 female patients, aged between 12 and 19 years, with a mean of 15.5 years. Most common initial complaints were dyspnea, cough, chest pain, and fever. Chest X-rays and/or thoracic computed tomography displayed masses in anterior mediastinum accompanied by pulmonary metastases (n=1), and cervical lymph node metastasis (n=1). Five cases underwent initial tumor resection; one case experienced Trucut biopsies. On gross examination, tumors size ranged between 7 and 15 cm with mean of 9,87 cm. Histological examination identified type B1 thymomas in 4 cases, type B2 in one case and type AB thymoma in one case. Immunohistochemically, epithelial cells expressed epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and cytokeratin, while immature T lymphocytes expressed CD1a, Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), and CD99 markers. The outcome was satisfactory in all cases.
Conclusions: Thymoma in children are rare tumours but should be considered in the differential diagnoses for mediastinal anterior lesion. It poses a significant challenge due to its unclear histogenesis and its atypical clinical presentation. Early diagnosis and complete resection are the basis for management and prognosis.
Keywords: Thymoma; children; pathology; case series
Acknowledgments
This abstract was simultaneously submitted to both the 15th International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group Annual Meeting and the 37th European Congress of Pathology.
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://med.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/med-25-ab048/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee(s) and with the Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the editorial office of this journal.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/med-25-ab048
Cite this abstract as: Ayadi R, Yaiche R, Dhouibi Y, Braham E, Ismail O, Jamaa NB, Ayadi A. AB048. Thymoma in children, a rare mediastinal tumour: pathological case series of 6 cases and review of the literature. Mediastinum 2025;9:AB048.
