Imaging of anterior mediastinal tumours

Anterior mediastinal tumours include primary and secondary tumours. Patients may be asymptomatic or present with symptoms related to local tumour invasion or systemic symptoms due to release of hormones/cytokines or antibodies. The most common symptoms at presentation include chest pain, dyspnoea, cough, fever and chills. Despite rapid developments in imaging techniques, accurate staging of anterior mediastinal tumours remains a diagnostic quandary. Multimodality imaging plays an important role in determining surgical resectability and/or impact on subsequent management. This article briefly discusses the epidemiology and incidence of anterior mediastinal tumours and describes the role of imaging in tumour characterization and staging in detail. We focus on the more commonly encountered anterior mediastinal tumours.