The anterior mediastinum contains thymus, fat, and lymph nodes, which corresponds with the most common etiologies of associated primary tumors. Although two-thirds of mediastinal masses are benign, about 59% of masses in the anterior compartment are malignant.[1] Most anterior mediastinal masses are epithelial tumors.Click to see full answer. Keeping this in view, what causes a mediastinal mass?Mediastinal masses are caused by a variety of cysts and tumors; likely causes differ by patient age and by location of the mass (anterior, middle, or posterior mediastinum). The masses may be asymptomatic (common in adults) or cause obstructive respiratory symptoms (more likely in children).One may also ask, how is mediastinal mass treated? Treatment for mediastinal tumors depends on the type of tumor and symptoms: Thymic cancers are treated with surgery. It may be followed by radiation or chemotherapy, depending on the stage of the tumor and the success of the surgery. Germ cell tumors are usually treated with chemotherapy. can anterior mediastinal mass be benign? Mediastinal tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Most mediastinal tumors in adults occur in the anterior mediastinum and are usually lymphomas or malignant thymomas.What is anterior mediastinum?The anterior mediastinum is the portion of the mediastinum anterior to the pericardium and below the thoracic plane. It forms the anterior part of the inferior mediastinum, and contains the thymus, lymph nodes, and may contain the portions of a retrosternal thyroid.
