Tumors of the thymus and thymic region: II. Clinicopathological studies on Hodgkin's disease of the thymus.
Among 82 patients with a tumor in the thymic region, 17 had a lesion that fulfilled the criteria for Hodgkin's disease of the thymus; the histopathological differentiation of this entity from thymomas is discussed. All patients received surgical treatment and postoperative radiotherapy. After a mean observation time of 10 years there was no local recurrence and no death due to the disease, though 3 deaths were cuased by the treatment. New clinical manifestations occurred in 3 of the 14 long-term survivors: they were treated successfully by operation or irradiation. A very aggressive surgical approach involving extirpation of all tumor tissue, extensive excision of the surrounding tissues and adjacent lymph nodes, and supplementary radiotherapy seems to be the treatment of choice.
D000328:Adult; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012008:Recurrence; D013903:Thoracic Surgery; D013909:Thorax / Q000601:surgery; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*