title: Thymoma: results of a multicentric retrospective series of 149 non-metastatic irradiated patients and review of the literature. FNCLCC trialists. Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer.
abstract: Between 1979 and 1990, 149 patients with non-metastatic thymomas were treated in ten French cancer centers. Patients were staged according to the 'GETT' classification, derived from that of Masaoka. There were 13 stage I patients, 46 stage II, 58 stage III and 32 stage IVA. Gross total resections were performed in 63 cases, subtotal resections in 31 cases and in 55 cases a biopsy alone was performed. All patients received radiotherapy and 74 were given post-operative chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 7.7 years. Local control was achieved in 117 cases (78.5%) and was influenced by the stage of the disease (p < 0.01) and the extent of surgery (p < 0.01). Twenty-six patients developed metastatis after a median period of 9 months. Five- and ten-year disease-free survival rates were 59.5% (51-67%) and 49.5% (39-60%), respectively, and were influenced by the stage of the disease (p < 0.01), the extent of surgery (p < 0.001) and a mediastinal compression on presentation (p = 5 x 10(-6)). Four factors could predict a worse overall survival in the multivariate analysis: mediastinal compression on presentation (p < 0.001), absence of chemotherapy (p < 0.001), biopsy alone (p = 0.003), and young age (p = 0.013). A worse DFS was predicted by mediastinal compression on presentation (p < 0.001), absence of chemotherapy (p < 0.001), young age (p = 0.006), and stages III-IVA (p = 0.04). Future therapeutic strategies are discussed and the literature is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer, Paris, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cowen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Richaud
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mornex
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bachelot
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mirabel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marchal
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lagrange
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rambert
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chaplain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013945:Thymoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*