Sequential mediastinal lymphadenectomy of an unknown primary tumor.

Abstract

An 83-year-old woman was admitted for lower mediastinal lymphadenopathy, detected by computed tomography; preoperative examinations did not detect a primary lesion. Fifteen months after tumor resection, a new mediastinal lymphadenopathy located 4 cm from the site of the first lesion was resected. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical examinations of both tumors revealed metastatic, poorly differentiated, adenocarcinomas with identical findings; however, the primary site could not be identified based on these examinations. The patient has remained disease-free for 23 months since the last surgery. Thus, sequential resections of metachronous mediastinal lymph node metastases from an unknown primary cancer yielded beneficial disease control.

• Authors: Hiroaki Harada, Yoshinori Yamashita, Kazuya Kuraoka, Kiyomi Taniyama
• Journal: The Annals of thoracic surgery (Ann Thorac Surg) Vol. 95 Issue 2 Pg. 687-9 (Feb 2013) ISSN: 1552-6259 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 23336878 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adenocarcinoma (secondary, surgery)
• Aged, 80 and over
• Female
• Humans
• Lymph Node Excision (methods)
• Lymphatic Metastasis
• Mediastinum
• Neoplasms, Unknown Primary (pathology)