J Korean Med Sci.
1993 Dec;8(6):458-463. 10.3346/jkms.1993.8.6.458.
Thymic carcinoid tumor combined with thymoma--neuroendocrine differentiation in thymoma?
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Anatomic Pathology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
- KMID: 1422018
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.1993.8.6.458
Abstract
- A carcinoid tumor of the thymus combined with thymoma in a 62-year-old man is described. The mediastinal tumor had been present for 13 years and was associated with pure red cell aplasia. Carcinoid tumor occupied the central two-thirds of the tumor, consisting of nests and trabeculae of monotonous round cells, which ultrastructurally showed many intracytoplasmic dense-core granules. Typical spindle cell type thymoma surrounded the carcinoid area. Clinico-pathologic findings of this unique case suggested that the carcinoid tumor developed within a preexisting thymoma, illustrating a possibility of neuroendocrine differentiation of thymic epithelial cells.
