Typical thymic carcinoid tumor with multiple metastases diagnosed by pleural effusion cytology

: A 57-year-old man was referred and admitted to our hospital because of anterior mediastinal tumors and pericardial effusion. Although his condition had been diagnosed as thymic cancer by another hospital, a cytologic examination of pleural effusion specimens obtained a positive stain for chromogranin A, and yielded a diagnosis of thymic carcinoid tumor with multiple metastases. Despite irradiation and relief therapy, the patient died 8 months later. A histopathologic examination of the thymic tumor at autopsy revealed typical carcinoid patterns. The cytologic examination proved capable of accurately diagnosing the carcinoid tumor. Although such tumors are usually considered to have a good prognosis, unfavorable outcomes are also a possibility, as was demonstrated in this case.