[Main pediatric thoracic tumors : Imaging and differential diagnosis]

Thoracic tumors in children and adolescents comprise a heterogeneous group of malignant and benign neoplasms that can be difficult to distinguish from congenital anomalies and infectious processes and often require a multimodal diagnostic approach.

Based on a targeted literature review in the PubMed database and considering the guidelines of national and international societies, the radiological features, current imaging standards, and some diagnostic strategies are presented.

Due to frequent overlap of image findings and the presence of age-related physiological variants, thoracic tumors in children and adolescents represent a diagnostic challenge. The precise anatomical localization, particularly with respect to the mediastinal compartments, may yield important information for differential diagnosis. Reliable reporting and therapy planning require close interdisciplinary collaboration and guideline-based imaging, with radiologists playing a key role.