What are thoracic tumors?
Thoracic tumors include a wide range of malignant lesions. Thoracic tumors can be subdivided according to their location into:
- Pleural tumors, which are further differentiated into: malignant pleural mesothelioma, solitary fibrous tumor (rare and usually benign neoplasm), lymphomas and secondary neoplasms.
- Mediastinal tumors, which can be divided into: anterior mediastinal tumors (thymoma, fibroma, fibrosarcoma, lipoma, germ cell tumors, vascular, lymphatic and carcinoid tumors), middle mediastinal tumors (cysts, cardiac and tracheal tumors, pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma) and posterior mediastinal tumors (neurogenic tumors, enterogenic cysts and esophageal tumors). The most frequent mediastinal neoplasms are those affecting the thymus, lymph nodes and those originating from nerve elements (neuromas).
- Tumors of the esophagus, which depending on the tissue involved may be called squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.
Symptoms of thoracic tumors
Symptoms of thoracic tumors may vary depending on the type of lesion. In the case of pleural mesothelioma, for example, the symptoms are not very specific and may be interpreted as signs of other, more common diseases. The patient may experience pain in one side of the chest or lower back, shortness of breath, coughing and trouble swallowing, fever, weight loss, fatigue and muscle weakness.
Thymoma, on the other hand, is usually asymptomatic, while esophageal tumor may manifest with dysphagia, weight loss and altered voice pitch.
Thoracic tumors have different symptoms if they are pleural mesothelioma or thymoma.
Diagnosis of thoracic tumors
The diagnosis of thoracic tumors varies depending on the type of tumor. The tests usually performed for pleural mesothelioma are CT with contrast medium, PET and biopsy, while for thymoma they are CT of the chest and surgical biopsy. Finally, for esophageal cancers, the diagnostic tests performed are esophagogastroscopy, radiography with contrast medium, echoendoscopy, CT of the chest-abdomen with contrast medium and PET.
What are the causes of thoracic tumors?
As with the symptoms, the causes of chest cancer vary depending on the neoplasm, for example, the occurrence of pleural mesothelioma is favored by exposure to asbestos, while for thymoma the risk factors are not yet known. Tumors of the esophagus, on the other hand, can appear due to genetic causes (presence of palmar and plantar tylosis, papillomatosis of the esophagus, etc.), inflammatory (Barrett’s esophagus) or related to lifestyle (tobacco and alcohol) and diet (diet poor in fruit and in some metals such as zinc and rich in fats).
Can they be prevented?
Prevention also varies depending on the tumor. In general, a healthy lifestyle, avoiding alcohol and tobacco consumption, limiting exposure to asbestos and reducing the risk of gastroesophageal reflux are recommended.
Treatments for thoracic tumors
Treatment of pleural tumors, particularly mesothelioma, varies according to the stage of the disease: from surgery (pleurectomy with scaling or extrapleural pleuropneumonectomy), to induction chemotherapy before surgery (for inoperable patients), to postoperative radiotherapy. The treatment of choice for mediastinal and esophageal tumors is surgical intervention (not indicated for lymphomas or tumors with metastases that require chemotherapy and radiotherapy).
Which specialist should be consulted?
The specialist to go to in case of thoracic cancer is an expert in Oncology or Thoracic Surgery.