Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun 20;12(6):e0179527.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179527. eCollection 2017.

Long term oncological outcome of thymoma and thymic carcinoma - an analysis of 235 cases from a single institution

Yen-Chiang Tseng  1   2   3 , Yen-Han Tseng  4 , Hua-Lin Kao  5 , Chih-Cheng Hsieh  2   3 , Teh-Ying Chou  2   5 , Yih-Gang Goan  1 , Wen-Hu Hsu  3 , Han-Shui Hsu  3   6
Affiliations

Long term oncological outcome of thymoma and thymic carcinoma - an analysis of 235 cases from a single institution

Yen-Chiang Tseng et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background and objectives: Thymoma has a variable long-term oncological outcome after surgical resection. Survival and tumor recurrence were analyzed to determine the predisposing factors for tumor recurrence.

Methods: A total of 235 patients who underwent surgery for thymoma or thymic carcinoma from December 1997 to March 2013 were analyzed using Masaoka staging system and World Health Organization (WHO) histological classification. Surgical intervention included extended thymothymectomy via median sternotomy and thymomectomy via thoracotomy/ video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

Results: The median duration of follow-up was 105 months (12-198 months). Among these 235 patients, recurrence was observed in 25 patients (10.7%). according to Masaoka stage I, IIA, IIB, III, IVA, IVB, recurrence rates were 1/65(1.5%), 8/106(7.5%), 1/32(3.1%), 6/20(30.0%), 8/10(80.0%), 1/1(100.0%), respectively. Disease or treatment-related mortality was observed in 13 patients. Overall survival rate was 94.4%. After univariate analysis, predisposing factors for tumor recurrence included Masaoka stage, WHO histologic type, tumor size, adjuvant therapy and margin status.

Conclusions: Due to the indolent behavior of thymoma, tumor recurrence appears to be a better assessment of oncological outcome rather than survival. Factors associated with tumor recurrence include Masaoka stage, WHO histologic type, tumor size, adjuvant therapy and margin status.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Overall survival correlated with Masaoka stage.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Correlation between Masaoka stage and disease free survival.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Correlation between WHO histology type and disease free survival.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Detterbeck FC. Evaluation and treatment of stage I and II thymoma. J Thorac Oncol. 2010;5(10 Suppl 4):S318–S322. - PubMed
    1. Engels EA, Pfeiffer RM. Malignant thymoma in the United States: demographic patterns in incidence and associations with subsequent malignancies. Int J Cancer. 2003;105(4):546–551. doi: 10.1002/ijc.11099 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hung YS, Chang CL, Chang H, Lu CH, Chen PT, Chou WC. Thymoma. J Intern Med Taiwan 2009;20:344–351.
    1. Masaoka A, Monden Y, Nakahara K, Tanioka T. Follow-up study of thymomas with special reference to their clinical stages. Cancer. 1981;48(11):2485–2492. - PubMed
    1. Koga K, Matsuno Y, Noguchi M, Mukai K, Asamura H, Goya T, et al. A review of 79 thymomas: modification of staging system and reappraisal of conventional division into invasive and non-invasive thymoma. Pathol Int. 1994;44(5):1984–1987. - PubMed

MeSH terms