Direct Intraesophageal Growth from Metastatic Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy in Thymic Carcinoma

We herein report a case of thymic carcinoma that initially exhibited dysphagia and an intraesophageal mass lesion. A 68-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of dysphagia. An endoscopic examination revealed a mass on the middle esophagus. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a huge anterior mediastinal mass and subcarinal lymph node swelling, directly invading into the esophageal lumen. An immunohistological examination of the esophageal and anterior mediastinal masses revealed squamous cell carcinoma originating from the thymus. This is the first report of a thymic carcinoma spreading into the esophageal lumen and forming a mass lesion.