Causes of a Mediastinal Tumour
A mediastinal tumour can exist in different forms. The cause of a tumour is based on where it is positioned in the mediastinal. Tumours in front of the mediastinum are common in people between 30 and 50byears. They are caused by:
- Lymphoma [2], such as Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Thymic cyst [3] and Thymoma (a tumour of the thymus)
- Thyroid mass mediastinal (a harmless growth but can sometimes be cancerous)
Tumours at the centre of the mediastinum can be caused by:
- A bronchogenic cyst (a harmless development that begins in the respiratory tract)
- Lymphadenopathy mediastinal, or abnormal growth of the lymph nodes
- A pericardial cyst (a harmless growth lining the heart) [4]
- Thyroid mass mediastinal
- Tracheal tumours (Also benign growths)
- Vascular diseases, which include swelling of the aorta
Tumours at the back of the mediastinum are due to:
- Extramedullary hematopoiesis (Abnormal developments that start in the bone marrow and are associated with chronic anaemia)
- Lymphadenopathy mediastinal (swollen lymph nodes)
- Neurenteric cyst mediastinal (an abnormal development in the nerves and the gastrointestinal systems)
- Neurogenic neoplasm mediastinal (carcinogenic cells of the nerves)
Tumours that develop in the mediastinum are also called primary tumours. In some cases, mediastinal tumours will grow because cancerous cells from other body areas have spread. When cancer moves from one part of the body to another, it is called metastasis. Mediastinal tumours that occur due to metastasis are called secondary tumours.