| Abstract: | A 19-year old man was hospitalized suspected of a mediastinal tumor with superior vena caval syndrome. As the chest X-ray film and thoracic CT scan on admission revealed a huge anterior mediastinal tumor, and the value of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was high, we made a diagnosis of malignant mediastinal tumor from the germ cell. Radiation therapy was not effective, but a combination chemotherapy consisted of cis-platinum, adriamycin, and vincristine was clearly effective, decreasing the size of the tumor and normalizing the value of serum AFP. As the tumor acquired tolerance to the anticancer drugs before long, the chemotherapy became ineffective and the patient died 9 months after the initiation of the treatment. This tumor had endodermal sinus structure, Schiller-Duval body, and eosinophilic hyaline globulus which were histological characteristics of yolk sac tumor, and was confirmed to be originated from anterior mediastinum. |
