A man went to the doctor because of a cough. It turned out that he had a 6-inch lump in his chest.
An otherwise healthy man developed a worrisome cough that lasted for three weeks without any other symptoms. It turned out that the cough was caused by a 7-inch (17.2 cm) mass pushing against his right lung.
According to the case description, published on October 30 in Journal of Surgical Case Reports (Opens in a new tab), the 22-year-old man has no notable medical history or history of smoking, and he tested negative for COVID-19 in the emergency room. that X ray From his chest he revealed a buildup of fluid between the layers of tissue covering the right lung Lining the chest cavity, this fluid flooded the small airways of the lower right lung, preventing it from filling with air.
The medical team then conducted a CT scan and discovered a large mass lurking in the right half of the patient’s chest. The mass was located in the mediastinum, the space between the lungs that houses the lungs heartand lymph nodes, nerves, and other structures in the chest, according to the online medical resource StatPearls (Opens in a new tab).
The team collected a sample of the mass and found that it had developed from cells in V thymus glandIt is a gland located just behind the breastbone and is responsible for the production of mature immune cells.
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Doctors then performed surgery to remove the mass and analyzed the tissue further, revealing that the tumor was neither malignant nor cancerous. All thymic tumors, i.e. tumors of the thymus gland, are considered to have the potential to become malignant, though, tumors are treated with this risk in mind, according to Sinai Cedar (Opens in a new tab).
The patient recovered in the hospital for a week after surgery, and at a follow-up appointment a month after discharge, he had no symptoms, such as shortness of breath or coughing. He was then allowed to resume all of his normal activities, including weightlifting. He was also scheduled for a follow-up visit six months later to receive a CT scan and undergo radiotherapy, which reduces the risk of the lump growing back.
Thymus tumors are the most common type of tumor that grows in the part of the mediastinum that houses the thymus, lymph nodes, and fat in the chest, according to StatPearls. In general, these types of tumors are relatively uncommon. Less than 1% of all adult malignancies are thymic tumors.
Thymus can cause a wide range of respiratory symptoms, including an occasional bloody cough, shortness of breath and chest pain, according to Cedars Sinai. Because of the pressure that tumors can place on other organs, they can also cause difficulty swallowing; Swelling of the face, neck, hands, and upper chest. headache; dizziness. Early on, when tumors first begin to form, some patients experience no symptoms at all.
Cedars Sinai points out that “a diagnosis of thymoma… can occur unintentionally when a chest X-ray or CT scan is performed for another reason.” “If this does not happen, the patient may visit his doctor because he has symptoms and is diagnosed at that time,” as in the young man’s recent case.
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