Background & Aims: Mediastinal masses can occur at any age, but prevalence of them differs according to age. Studies show that the prevalence of malignant masses has increased recently. The aim of this study was evaluation of frequency of mediastinal masses according to the location, pathologic findings, and ages of them.

Materials & Methods: This retrospective and descriptive study was done with pathological review of 87 patients' documents that had undergone surgery for a mediastinal masses in Emam Khomeini Hospital of Urmia.

Results: 53 patients were male and 34 of them were female. The frequency of tumor location were 52 cases (59.8%) in the anterior mediastinum, 13 (14.9%), more than one site, 11 cases (12.6%) posterior Mediastinum, 7 (8%) the upper mediastinum and 4 (4.6%) were in the middle mediastinum. The frequency of tumor pathology included 30 lymphomas (34.5%), Thymoma 8 (9.2%), germ cell tumor 6 (6.8%) and 2 (2.3%) neuroendocrine, the remained 29 (33.3%) patients hadother pathology. Differences between women and men in the type of tumors werestatistically significant. Neuroendocrine tumor in male and germ cell tumor in female was not reported.

Conclusion: Anterior mediastinal tumors (47 cases) in order of frequency were included lymphoma (24 cases), Thymoma (7 cases), 5 cases of germ cell tumors and 11 patients with other pathology (benign lesions,metastasis,..). Middle mediastinal tumors (4 cases) were included lymphomas (1case), and 3 had otherpathgology. Posterior mediastinal tumors (9 cases) are included neuroendocrine tumors (2 cases) and 7 patients had other pathologies. Upper mediastinal tumors (5 cases) were included lymphoma (1case), and 4 had other pathology

SOURCE: URMIA MED J 2014: 24(12): 1039 ISSN: 1027-3727