Surgical treatment of giant mediastinal tumors

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the surgical treatment outcomes of giant mediastinal tumors. METHODS: Between July 2013 and July 2018, medical data of a total of 31 patients (26 males, 5 females; mean age 27.7±8.2 years; range, 18 to 56 years) who underwent radical surgery for a giant mediastinal tumor in our center and 47 cases (26 males, 21 females; mean age 45.4±16.7 years; range, 19 to 62 years) of giant mediastinal tumors retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database were retrospectively reviewed. Two-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates of the patients were evaluated. RESULTS: All patients underwent radical surgery (R0 resection). Symptoms caused by giant mediastinal tumors were relieved after radical surgery during follow-up. The two-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 100% and 86.7%, respectively, indicating a good prognosis. The surgical procedures for malignancies were more difficult than those for benign pathologies. CONCLUSION: Radical surgery is the mainstay for treatment of giant mediastinal tumors to relieve symptoms in a short period of time and to achieve a good prognosis for up to two years, regardless of adjuvant therapy. The surgical route should be cautiously planned before radical surgery to reduce complications.