[Clinical study of operated nine thymic carcinomas].
Nine cases of thymic carcinoma (5 males and 4 females) were operated in our hospital between 1990 and 1998. These cases included 4 squamous cell carcinomas, 2 small cell carcinomas, 2 undifferentiated carcinomas and one adenocarcinoma. Preoperative chemotherapy were performed in 3 cases. All cases underwent median-sternotomy followed by mediastinal irradiation, 4 had total resection of the tumor, 2 had subtotal resection and 3 had exploratory thoracotomy followed by mediastinal irradiation. Adjuvant chemotherapy were administered in 4 cases and re-operation were performed in 2 cases. We applied Masaoka's clinical staging for thymoma, nine cases consisted of 6 stage III cases, 2 stage IV b cases and one stage IV a case. Within 2 years after operation, 3 cases (two complete resection cases and one exploratory thoracotomy case) were died of the carcinoma. However, two cases of squamous cell carcinoma have been alive more than 5 years after surgery followed by chemoradiation. The remaining 4 patients are alive either with or without the carcinoma after 7 to 28 months after operation. Thymic carcinoma is not so common mediastinal tumor but is expected to increase in the future. The treatment of thymic carcinoma remains a controversial matter and the survival is poor compared with invasive thymoma, but multimodal-therapy would contribute to improvement of the results in treatment for thymic carcinoma especially in squamous cell carcinoma.
Miyazawa
M
M
Department of Surgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Yamanda
T
T
Kaneko
K
K
Yoshida
K
K
Machida
E
E
Hanaoka
T
T
Takasuna
K
K
Kondo
R
R
Numanami
H
H
Makiuchi
A
A
Haniuda
M
M
Amano
J
J
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*