CASE REPORT article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Imaging and Image-directed Interventions
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1588165
Mediastinal lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a case report and literature review
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
- 2Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
- 3Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
- 4Siemens Healthineers (China), Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
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Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disorder that primarily affects women of childbearing age. It is characterized by the abnormal growth of smooth muscle-like cells. While LAM typically occurs in the lungs, it can also be found in the retroperitoneum and pelvis. However, cases originating in the mediastinum are extremely rare. This report discusses an unusual case of mediastinal LAM in a male patient with no abnormal clinical symptoms. The patient, a 70-year-old man, In this case, we present the findings of a 72-year-old man who underwent a the chest computed tomography (CT) scan. The scan revealed an irregular hypodense mass in the left side of the anterior superior mediastinum. Interestingly, the mass did not exhibit significant enhancement in the arterial phase. Instead, it showed striated enhancement in the central area during the venous phase, with no abnormalities observed in the marginal area. To further understand this condition, we conducted a comprehensive review of relevant literature, focusing on the imaging characteristics of mediastinal LAM and the pathogenesis and therapeutic prognosis of LAM.
Keywords: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), Mediastinum, Extrapulmonary, Computed tomography (CT), mediastinal imaging, differential diagnosis
Received: 05 Mar 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Wang, Shi, Zhao, Dou and Hao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fene Hao, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
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