Characteristics of malignant mediastinal tumours presenting in tertiary care center in India and the problems the oncologists have faced over time

Mediastinal neoplasms often present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for treating oncologists. Significant advances in the evaluation and diagnosis of these lesions have occurred in recent times. Multimodality treatment has contributed to improved survival for some malignant mediastinal tumor histology, however the overall prognosis remains dismal. This is a review of all the mediastinal tumors received and treated in our Regional Cancer Centre (RCC). The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate distribution of mediastinal tumours, the factors affecting the treatment intent, and understanding the reasons behind the generally known poor prognosis.