Step 1: The mediastinum is divided into compartments, and tumours have characteristic locations. The anterior mediastinum lies in front of the pericardium and below the thoracic plane, and contains the thymus, lymph nodes, and a possible retrosternal extension of the thyroid.
Step 2: The classic anterior mediastinal masses are remembered as the 4 Ts - Thymoma, Thyroid (retrosternal), Teratoma (germ cell tumour), and Terrible lymphoma. So thymoma, thyroid tumour and lymphoma are all anterior mediastinal lesions.
Step 3: Neurogenic tumours arise from nerve tissue (sympathetic chain, intercostal nerves) and therefore characteristically occupy the posterior mediastinum, not the anterior compartment. Hence neurogenic tumour is the one not seen anteriorly.
Step 4: Distractor check - thyroid tumour (a), thymoma (b) and lymphoma (c) are all genuine anterior mediastinal masses, so none of them is the answer. Neurogenic tumour (d) is the correct exception.