A malignant Triton tumor in the anterior mediastinum requiring emergency surgery: report of a case.

We report herein the case of a 17-year-old woman with von Recklinghausen's disease who was diagnosed as having a giant malignant Triton tumor located in the anterior mediastinum, which had adhered to the heart and the great vessels. An emergency operation was performed to relieve the tracheobronchial stenosis and congestive heart failure caused by the pressure of the tumor. Extracorporeal circulation was not required and the tumor could be excised only piece by piece. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a malignant Triton tumor being located in the anterior mediastinum.