Transsternal thymoma resection

Thymomas are traditionally regarded as tumours arising from the epithelial cells of the thymus. They are the second most frequent mediastinal tumour in the adult and show a variable clinical presentation and clinical course. Complete surgical resection should be the gold standard. The preferred approach is complete median sternotomy and an extended thymectomy is usually performed. A multimodality approach should be considered for invasive lesions or tumours giving intrathoracic metastases.