Surgical approaches for invasive tumors of the anterior mediastinum.

Malignant tumors of the anterior mediastinum frequently appear locally advanced at the time of diagnosis, with invasion of the surrounding organs including major blood vessels, lungs, and pericardium. Surgery can be indicated either with diagnostic intent or for radical resection, usually as a part of a multimodality treatment. Extended operations with complex vascular reconstructions may be required for the complete removal of the mediastinal mass. In this article, surgical approaches and techniques of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are reported and discussed.