Case Report: Thymic Carcinoma Metastatic to Small Bowel

Introduction Thymomas are the most common primary anterior mediastinal tumor and account for 15% to 20% of all mediastinal masses.(1, 3, 4) Although the majority of thymomas appear histologically benign, some may behave like invasive epithelial malignancies, invading local structures or metastasizing to distant organs.(2) However, extrathoracic direct invasion or distant metastasis are extremely rare and only a few cases have been reported previously. Even fewer cases of gastrointestinal tract invasion of thymomas have been documented in the English literature.(5, 6) This is the fi rst clinical report of mediastinal thymic carcinoma metastatic to proximal small bowel.