Introduction.

The development of diagnostic images made the topographic diagnosis of mediastinal tumors possible; however, even with current advances in surgery, anesthesiology, and resuscitation, surgical access to this mid-rib cage space continues to be the great challenge faced by chest surgeons.

Objective.

To deepen in the different updated cognitive aspects about mediastinal tumors.

Methods.

Digital documentary search in databases: Scielo, Lilacs, Web of Science, and PubMed, performed in January 2019, of publications on the subject in the present century.

Results.

Mediastinal neoplasms are rare, they can appear at any age, although they are most common between the third and fifth decades, and most are discovered incidentally on a routine chest radiograph in asymptomatic patients. Malignant tumors of the mediastinum are rare, but benign tumors pose a diagnostic challenge for radiologists and pathologists. In malignant neoplasms, a wide range of histological varieties is identified, attributable to the characteristics of the affected organ.

Conclusions.

The definitive diagnosis is generally established by postoperative histopathological study, although computed tomography, associated or not with percutaneous biopsy, is the gold standard for preoperative diagnosis. The selection of the entry route to the thorax, as well as the surgical procedure, are conditioned by the location and size of the tumor in the mediastinum.

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