Types of mediastinal tumour

Most mediastinal tumours display a predilection for one mediastinal compartment over the others.

In the anterior mediastinum, the most common lesions found in the pre-vascular segment include thymic diseases (hyperplasia and tumours), germ cell tumours, lymphoma, metastatic adenopathy and intrathoracic goitre; (1)

• 35% thymic tumours
• 25% lymphomas (Hodgkin lymphoma 13%, non-Hodgkin lymphoma 12%)
• endocrine tumours ∼15%
• germ-cell tumours 20% (10% benign teratoma, 10% malignant germ-cell tumours)
• 5% thymic benign lesions

Diseases affecting the visceral (middle mediastinal) compartment comprise tracheal and oesophageal lesions, foregut cysts, lymphadenopathy and lesions of pericardial, heart and great vessels origin.

Neurogenic tumours represent the most frequent cause of posterior mediastinal masses. (2) Schwannoma, together with neurofibroma, are the most common neurogenic tumours occurring in the posterior mediastinum.

Reference

1. Carter BW, Benveniste MF, Madan R, et al. ITMIG classification of mediastinal compartments and multidisciplinary approach to mediastinal masses. Radiographics. 2017 Mar-Apr;37(2):413-36
2. Pavlus JD, Carter BW, Tolley MD, et al. Imaging of thoracic neurogenic tumors. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2016; 207: 552–561