title: Multimodal treatment of metastatic thymic carcinoma including high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation: report of a case with more than 4-year disease-free survival.
abstract: Thymic carcinoma is a rare epithelial malignancy differentiated from thymoma by the presence of cytologically malignant cells. There are few reports of the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic thymic carcinoma. We describe a patient who sought treatment for thymic carcinoma metastatic to pleura, pericardium, retroperitoneum, and neck nodes. He was treated with neoadjuvant etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin, and underwent resection. We then administered high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support, followed by radiation therapy. The patient remains in complete remission more than 4 years after diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of metastatic thymic carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant therapy and postoperative high-dose chemotherapy. Metastatic thymic carcinoma may be curable by aggressive combined therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Soroka University Medical Center and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Geffen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benharroch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yellin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ariad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Or
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous