Primary choriocarcinoma of the posterior mediastinum in a male: A case report and review of the literature

Primary choriocarcinoma of the posterior mediastinum is considered to be extremely rare, and the majority of these tumors occur in the gonads and uterus. The current study presents the case of a 40-year-old male who presented to the Department of Thoracic Surgery (Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China) with left chest pain for two months. Computed tomography of the chest showed a 4.9×5.2-cm mass in the posterior mediastinum and enlargement of the mediastinal lymph nodes. Resection of the tumor and upper lobe of the left lung was performed and the patient received combination chemotherapy with six courses of etoposide plus cisplatin. The patient recovered and was discharged. One year post surgery and chemotherapy, the patient was followed up and evidence of a recurrent tumor in the cerebrum was observed.