Adenocarcinoma originating in the anterior mediastinum diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial cryobiopsy: a case report

Adenocarcinoma originating in the anterior mediastinum diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial cryobiopsy: a case report

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Abstract Background Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial cryobiopsy (EBUS-cryobiopsy) is advantageous for collecting larger specimens with minimal crushing; however, it has not been widely used for mediastinal tumors.Case presentation A 73-year-old woman with a marc bolan grab history of left breast cancer underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy.Computed tomography showed a mass in the anterior mediastinum that was in extensive contact with the sternum on the ventral side and partly with the trachea on the dorsal side.Two computed tomography-guided needle biopsies (CTNBs) were performed on the mass; however, a definitive diagnosis was not made because of severe crush artifacts.

Subsequently, we performed EBUS-cryobiopsy and safely obtained sufficient specimen volume with minimal crushing.The histopathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma, with immunobiological features distinct from those of previous breast cancers.Her overall diagnosis was a rare tumor tekoparta originating in the anterior mediastinum.Conclusions EBUS-cryobiopsy can be safely performed in narrow areas surrounded by major blood vessels, and the obtained specimens may be superior to CTNBs for histopathological diagnosis.