Clinical and immunohistochemical study of eight cases with thymic carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Thymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm with extremely poor prognosis. To evaluate the biological characteristics of thymic carcinoma, we reviewed 8 patients.


METHODS
There were 2 men and 6 women: ages ranged from 19 to 67 years old (mean 54.8 years). None of these patients had concomitant myasthenia gravis and pure red cell aplasia. No patient had stage I disease, 1 stage II, 5 stage III, and 2 stage IV. The pathologic subtypes of thymic carcinoma included 5 squamous cell carcinomas, 1 adenosquamous cell carcinomas, 1 clear cell carcinoma, and 1 small cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemical study was performed using antibodies against p53, bcl-2, Ki-67, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), nm23-H1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) and factor VIII.


RESULTS
Curative resection could be done in 4 patients (50%). Our data indicates a trend toward an association between complete resection and patient survival. Expression of p53, bcl-2, CEA, EMA, nm23-H1, VEGF and FGF-2 was detected in 5/8, 3/8, 4/8, 5/8, 6/8, 5/8 and 3/8, respectively. Mean Ki-67 labeling index and microvessel density was 7.01 and 34.36 (per 200x field), respectively. When compared with our previous studies, immunohistochemical staining of these proteins in thymomas, the expression rates of these proteins in thymic carcinomas were higher than those in thymomas.


CONCLUSIONS
In this small series, it is suggested that a complete resection suggests a favorable result. Immunohistochemical results reveal that the expression of these proteins might indicate the aggressiveness of thymic carcinoma.
Tomita
Masaki
M
Department of Surgery II, Miyazaki Medical College, Kihara 5200, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan. mtomita@post.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
Matsuzaki
Yasunori
Y
Edagawa
Masao
M
Maeda
Masayuki
M
Shimizu
Tetsuya
T
Hara
Masaki
M
Onitsuka
Toshio
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
D009363:Neoplasm Proteins