Thymoma and Tuberculoma: Unexpected Coexistence

António Grilo Novais; Diana Pinho Santos; Mariana Conceição; Sara Cunha; Joana Capelo; Pedro Crespo; Lina Carvalho

doi:10.12890/2021_002744

Thymoma and Tuberculoma: Unexpected Coexistence

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2021 Jul 30;8(7):002744. doi: 10.12890/2021_002744. eCollection 2021.

Authors

António Grilo Novais¹, Diana Pinho Santos¹, Mariana Conceição², Sara Cunha³, Joana Capelo¹, Pedro Crespo⁴, Lina Carvalho⁵

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu, Portugal.
² Pneumology Department, Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu, Portugal.
³ Thoracic Surgery Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Portugal.
⁴ Infectious Diseases Department, Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu, Portugal.
⁵ Institute of Anatomical and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra University Hospital Center, Coimbra, Portugal.

Abstract

Mediastinal tumours can be incidental findings on chest x-ray or present with systemic symptoms and/or direct effect of the mediastinal mass. We report the case of a woman with symptomatic thymoma B1 and simultaneous thymus tuberculosis.

Learning points: The association of tuberculosis (TB) of the thymus and thymoma is extremely rare.The differential diagnosis of a mediastinal mass should include TB, particularly in endemic regions.Mediastinal mass resection or biopsy can be of great value in diagnostic work-up.

Keywords: Thymus; granuloma; mediastinal mass; tuberculosis.