Two cases of atypical carcinoid of the thymus

We describe two cases of atypical carcinoid of the thymus, One was an 82-ye ar-old woman with complaints of nonproductive cough and back pain, and the other a 64-year-old woman with no symptoms. Computed tomography scans of th e chest in both cases revealed a large mass in the anterior mediastinum, Mu ltiple metastases to bone and liver were also noted in the former case, His tological examination of their tumors revealed that the tumor cells were ar ranged ire a nested, trabecular, or: pseudorosette pattern, with increased numbers of mitoses, nuclear pleomorphism, and presence of necrosis, In addi tion, immunohistochemically, the cells stained for neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin and chromogranin A, Combination chemotherapy consisting of c arboplatin and etoposide was performed as initial chemotherapy in the forme r case and as adjuvant therapy in the latter. The former patient achieved a short-term partial response. It is important to differentiate atypical car cinoid from other thymic tumors, since such tumors including thymoma have a much better prognosis than does atypical carcinoid.