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Review
. 2017 Apr 10:3:54.
doi: 10.21037/jovs.2017.03.18. eCollection 2017.

Surgical and oncological outcomes of thoracoscopic thymectomy for thymoma

Makoto Odaka  1 , You Tsukamoto  1 , Takamasa Shibasaki  1 , Shohei Mori  1 , Hisatoshi Asano  1 , Makoto Yamashita  1 , Toshiaki Morikawa  1
Affiliations
Review

Surgical and oncological outcomes of thoracoscopic thymectomy for thymoma

Makoto Odaka et al. J Vis Surg. .

Abstract

Thymoma remains the most common primary anterior mediastinal neoplasm. Surgical resection remains central to the treatment of thymoma, with thoracoscopic thymectomy (TT) being increasingly performed. This present review article aimed to summarize current studies comparing TT and open thymectomy (OT). Recently, most patients with Masaoka stage I-II thymoma have been receiving TT. This procedure is associated with a significantly shorter post-operative hospital stay, decreased intraoperative blood loss, and fewer complications compared with OT. Recurrence rates of thymoma after TT range from 0% to 6.7%, and the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) ranges from 83.3% to 96%. The oncological outcomes of TT are comparable to that of OT. Masaoka stage and the World Health Organization (WHO) type classification are valuable predictors of the prognosis of thymoma; hence, the optimal treatment for thymoma should be performed according to these two. TT is less invasive, with equivalent oncological outcomes, when compared with the OT. Minimally invasive surgery including TT for stage I-II thymomas is becoming the mainstay of therapy.

Keywords: Masaoka stage; Thymoma; WHO type classification; open thymectomy (OT); thoracoscopic thymectomy (TT).

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Thoracoscopic subtotal thymectomy (STT) for thymoma. In this case, STT from left thoracic cavity for a large thymoma (32). Available online: http://www.asvide.com/articles/1455
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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