Surgery for mediastinal neurogenic tumours: a 25-year single-centre retrospective study

Mediastinal neurogenic tumours are uncommon and often benign neoplasms mostly located in the posterior mediastinum and usually diagnosed incidentally. We reviewed our results after surgical resection. We compared patient characteristics and tumour nature between children and adults. Differences between thoracoscopic and open approach were analysed.

Departmental thoracic surgical database was queried for primary mediastinal neurogenic tumours resected between 1992 and 2017. Data included demographics, pathology, tumour nature, symptoms, surgical approach and postoperative morbidity/mortality.

Fifty-one patients (8 children and 43 adults) underwent tumour resection. Pathology revealed nerve sheath tumour in 1 child (12.5%) versus 36 adults (83.7%; P < 0.001) and ganglion cell tumour in 7 (87.5%) versus 5 (11.6%; P < 0.001). Two adults had a paraganglioma. Malignancy was present in 2 children (25%) versus 2 adults (4.6%; P = 0.049). All malignant tumours caused symptoms while most patients with benign tumours (38/47) were asymptomatic (P < 0.001). Surgical approach included thoracotomy, thoracoscopy and cervicotomy (n = 19/31/1) of which 2 were combined neurosurgical approach. All malignant tumours were approached via thoracotomy while the majority of patients with benign tumours (31/47) underwent thoracoscopy (P = 0.007). No significant difference was noted in overall morbidity between thoracoscopic versus open approach (45.2% vs 42.1%; P = 0.83). Hospital stay was significantly shorter following thoracoscopy (7.4 ± 3.3 vs 13.1 ± 9.8 days; P = 0.001).

Children carry a higher incidence to present with a malignant tumour originating from ganglion cells while most tumours in adults are benign, originating from the nerve sheath. The majority of patients with mediastinal neurogenic tumours are asymptomatic. Most tumours are amenable for thoracoscopic resection.