Giant cell tumor of the thoracic spine presenting as a huge posterior mediastinal mass: Case report and review of the literature

There are a few case series of giant cell tumor (GCT) in the spine and sacrum. GCT in the thoracic vertebrae is even more exceptional in medical literature. In this article we report a GCT in a 25-year-old male who presented with progressive back pain and dyspnea. On contrast-enhanced multidetector computer tomography, a large heterogeneously enhancible posterior mediastinal mass was detected with adjacent bony erosion and right main bronchus narrowing. At surgery, resection of large posterior mediastinal mass and curettage of adjacent body vertebrae with stabilization were performed. The final histological examination revealed that these findings were compatible with GCT from thoracic body vertebra.