Ganglioneuroblastoma of the posterior mediastinum: a case report

To the best of our knowledge, there have been no previously reported cases of ganglioneuroblastoma of the mediastinum from Pakistan. We present a case of ganglioneuroblastoma in an eight-year-old Pakistani Sindhi boy incidentally found to have a large posterior mediastinal mass that on biopsy initially looked like ganglioneuroma. He underwent successful excision of the mediastinal mass and remained stable post-operatively. Final pathology findings showed a ganglioneuroblastoma. He has remained free of symptoms on long-term follow-up.The rarity of this tumor along with its almost exclusive occurrence in the pediatric population necessitates a thorough investigation of patients presenting with a symptomatic mass.Ganglioneuroblastoma is a rare variety of peripheral neuroblastic tumor (neuroblastoma) that can arise anywhere along the sympathetic nervous system. It occurs almost exclusively in the pediatric population, with some reported cases in the adult population. It is the third most common childhood malignancy after leukemia and brain tumors, and is the commonest solid extracranial tumor among children [1]. Its true global incidence, however, is unknown. According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Registry maintained by the National Cancer Institute, the annual incidence of neuroblastoma is 7.6 per 1,000,000 population in the USA [2]. Of these cases, no statistics regarding the subtype of ganglioneuroblastoma are available. Here, we present the case of an eight-year-old previously healthy boy who presented to our clinic with non-specific signs and symptoms of pain and was later diagnosed to have ganglioneuroblastoma.An eight-year-old otherwise previously healthy Pakistani Sindhi boy presented to our clinic with complaints of right-sided lumbar pain for a week. At initial clinical assessment our patient's weight was 36.3 kg and his height was 142 cm. His overall nutritional status was good and had a normal height and build for his age with no