A rare case of malignant thymoma with superior vena cava syndrome in a young man

AUJ was a 29-year-old male student who presented with a 4-month history of cough, vomiting, headache, distended neck veins, dysphagia to solid meals, and recurrent episodes of dyspnea. Physical examination revealed right supraclavicular soft-to-firm nontender mass with no palpable thrill. The superficial veins of the face, neck, and chest were dilated. Chest computed tomography (CT) scanogram showed widened mediastinum with a lobulated soft-tissue mass seen at that region, compressing the trachea, bronchi, and superior vena cava. The anterior mediastinal mass was lobulated and showed heterogeneous density with minimal contrast enhancement. It was complex mixed echogenic on ultrasound with no remarkable color signal changes on color Doppler interrogation. A diagnosis of anterior mediastinal mass, most likely thymoma with superior vena cava syndrome, was made. CT-guided biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of malignant thymoma. He was slated for debulking surgery, and this was to be followed by radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. At the time of intubation during anesthetic procedure, however, he developed cardiac arrest and died on the 15th day of intensive care management.