Respiratory tract obstruction is underestimated in asymptomatic intrathoracic goiter. Our aim was to evaluate the involvement of the upper airway of asymptomatic patients with intrathoracic multinodular goiter, assessing the effect on respiratory function by means of spirometry. We selected 21 patients with asymptomatic intrathoracic goiter on whom a thyroidectomy had been performed. Spirometry...

CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) can promote the growth of some tumors, but it is unknown whether this is true for all tumors, including malignant pleural mesothelioma. We have previously shown that the existence of Tregs was associated with poor survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. In this study, using an intrathoracic murine model of malignant mesothelioma (MM), w...

A 58 year old man was admitted to the accident and emergency department following an industrial accident in which he sustained a three part fracture dislocation of his right humerus. Chest radiography revealed a large mass in the right upper hemithorax and, when the patient became hypotensive, an emergency thoracotomy was performed. The mass was found to be a massive intrathoracic lipoma. This ...

Transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB) is a fast and safe method used to establish definitive diagnosis for most thoracic lesions, whether the lesion is located in the pleura, the lung parenchyma, or the mediastinum. Diffuse disease and solitary lesions are equally approachable.TNB can avoid (when technically possible) more complex diagnostic interventions such asmediastinoscopy, thoracoscopy and ex...

INTRODUCTION Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is a rare disorder, defined as the appearance of hematopoietic elements outside the bone marrow or peripheral blood. The exact mechanism of this development is still unknown. We herein report a case of intrathoracic EMH, manifesting as a posterior mediastinal tumor in a patient with hereditary spherocytosis. PRESENTATION OF CASE A 45-year-old ma...

OBJECTIVE A frequent problem in patients with intrathoracic malignancies neighboring central airways is the question of whether the airway wall is infiltrated by the tumor or if it is merely compressed. This distinction can often not be made with certainty with the help of chest CT alone, but frequently necessitates surgical biopsy or exploration. We prospectively studied the utility of endobro...

BACKGROUND Macroscopic cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy perfusion (HITHOC) is a new multimodal approach for selected patients with primary and secondary pleural tumors, which may provide the patient with better local tumor control and increased overall survival rate. METHODS We present a single-center study including 20 patients undergoing cytoreductive surger...

RATIONALE Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine-derived cutaneous cancer. Ectopic or single metastatic MCC located in thorax is extremely rare; meanwhile, its definite management has not been elucidated yet. PATIENT CONCERNS A 64-year-old female patient with a giant mass located in her left thorax was presented for stuffy pain of left chest for 6 months and fever for hal...