Thymoma metastatic to the epidural thoracic spine

Abstract

Background: Thymomas rarely metastasize to the spine. Here, we present a 69-year-old female diagnosed with stage IV thymoma, which subsequently developed a symptomatic epidural thoracic spinal lesion causing thoracic myelopathy. Case Description: The patient initially presented with paraspinal rib pain, lower extremity weakness, and gait imbalance. The magnetic resonance revealed a T10 vertebral body lesion with epidural extension causing severe spinal cord compression. A T9–T10 hemilaminotomy for tumor resection was performed; this was followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. Gross total resection was achieved, and the final pathology was metastatic thymoma. Postoperatively, the patient significantly improved. Conclusion: Metastatic thymomas to the thoracic spine are rare. For those presenting with epidural lesions causing myelopathy, surgical resection is beneficial and may be accompanied by adjunctive radiation and chemotherapy.