An uncommon case of anterior mediastinal teratoma

Abstract

Germ cell tumors (GCT) are commonly seen in both children and young adults. Teratomas are a form of GCT and histologically contain tissues derived from all three germ cell layers. These tumors can exhibit malignant behaviour, hence should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. So, hereby present a case of 18-year-old female who presented with complaints of fever and cough with gradual onset from 20 days. A chest X-ray revealed growth in the left side of the chest. A high-resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) scan of the chest showed a large well-defined hypodense lesion in the left hilar region. Bronchoscopy showed extrinsic compression in the left main bronchus. The patient underwent anterolateral thoracotomy to remove a 9×9 cm mass lying in the mediastinum resting on pericardium. The histopathology specimen turned out to be a mature teratoma. This interesting case is described with its incidence, diagnosis and management protocols for the mediastinal teratoma.