Symptoms of mediastinal tumors
About half of patients with mediastinal tumors experience no symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they are often the result of compression to the nerves or other structures due to the growth of a tumor, and can be an indication of cancer.
General symptoms of mediastinal tumors, sometimes mistakenly attributed to a cold or the flu, include:
- Cough
- Pain below the breastbone
- Sense of fullness in the chest
- Shortness of breath
- Fever and chills
- Night sweats
- Hoarseness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Swollen or tender lymph nodes
- Eye issues (drooping eyelid, small pupil) on one side of the face
How are mediastinal tumors diagnosed?
Mediastinal tumors can be difficult to diagnose, not just because of where they are located in the body, but also because the symptoms and pathology closely resemble those of common conditions, such as a cold or flu. This means misdiagnosis can frequently occur — and getting the right diagnosis is critical to defining the right treatment and increasing chances for the best recovery outcomes.
Test for the initial diagnosis of mediastinal tumors may include:
- CT scan
- MRI
- PET scan
- Pulmonary function tests
- Bloodwork
- Stress test
A needle biopsy — in which a small tissue sample is removed to study under a microscope — is the only way to confirm diagnosis of a malignant mediastinal tumor. Your doctor may also order one of the following procedures to make a definitive diagnosis:
- Mediastinoscopy – in which a thin tube is used to examine the organs in the area between the lungs and nearby lymph nodes, in order to get tissue samples from lymph nodes on the right side of the chest.
- Mediastinostomy – in which a tube is inserted through an incision on the side of the breastbone to view the thymus and possibly take a biopsy sample from the thymus and nearby lymph nodes.