Primary extragenital choriocarcinoma in posterior mediastinum in a male adult: a case report

Primary extragenital choriocarcinoma is a highly malignant tumor and usually occurs in the midline of the body, such as the mediastinum, retroperitoneum, pineal gland and the middle part of the brain. In this report we present a case of primary extragenital choriocarcinoma located in the posterior mediastinum. A 40-year-old man was admitted to hospital with severe chest wall pain for 2 months. Enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) showed a mass of soft tissue measuring 5.2 cm × 4.5 cm located in the posterior mediastinum. CT-guided percutaneous fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy was performed and adenocarcinoma was diagnosed. After careful examination, complete tumor resection with combined resection of part left upper lobe of lung and lymph node dissection were performed. Combining hematoxylin/eosin staining and immunohistochemical a pathological diagnosis of choriocarcinoma was made.