Surgical approaches, anaesthetic management and outcome in pediatric superior mediastinal tumors

Publication date: Available online 31 August 2017
Source:Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute
Author(s): Gehad Ahmed, Mohammed M. Hegazy, Tarek Raafat, Hanafy Hafez, Sayed Fadel, Maged Elshafiey
BackgroundPediatric superior mediastinal tumors are a heterogeneous group of tumors with marked variation in pathology and extension. We reviewed our experience with different surgical approaches to tumors originating from or extending to superior mediastinum in pediatrics.Patients and methodsThe medical records of all patients who had undergone resection for superior mediastinal tumors in Children's Cancer Hospital – Egypt, between January 2008 to December 2015, were reviewed for demographic data, clinico-pathological features, radiologic findings, operative techniques and outcome.ResultsThe study included 20 patients. Diagnosis included: germ cell tumors (n=8), neuroblastoma (n=4), soft tissue sarcoma (n=3), thymolipoma (n=2), infantile fibromatosis (n=1), calcifying fibrous tumor (n=1), and thymic carcinoma (n=1). Tumor extension was divided into tumors extending unilaterally to one hemithorax (n=9), tumors extending bilaterally to both hemithoraces (n=4), and cervico thoracic junction tumors (n=7). Extended lateral thoracotomy was used in 8 patients. Other approaches included trapdoor (n=5), clamshell (n=4), cervical approach (n=2) and double level lateral thoracotomy (n=1). There was no perioperative mortality, and postoperative morbidity was 20%. At the end of December 2016, 15 patients were alive free of disease, 5 patients developed local and/ or distant relapse.ConclusionPediatric superior mediastinal tumors could be divided into 3 groups according to tumor extension. Each group has an optimum surgical approach that achieves the best exposure for adequate resection. However, further research is needed to confirm the conclusion as this was a descriptive study and the sample size was too small for valid statistical analysis.



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