title: [Six cases of thymic carcinoma: a clinical review].
abstract: Thymic carcinoma is rarer than thymoma and carries a very poor prognosis. No standard treatment has yet been established. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are usually given to patients in whom surgery is not indicated. We clinically review six patients with thymic carcinoma (three men and three women) who were admitted to our hospital from 1992 through 2002. Their ages ranged from 56 to 81 years (median 70.5). Four patients had chest pain, two were unable to swallow, and in one, who was asymptomatic, the tumor was detected by chance. Histologically, five cases were squamous cell carcinomas, and one was a lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma. Four of the six patients had distant metastasis at diagnosis. Only one patient was able to undergo surgery, two received radiation therapy alone, and three were administered chemoradiation. The response to the chemoradiation was progression of the disease in two patients and no change in one. The response to radiation therapy was partial response in one patient and no change in one. In summary, chest pain is the most common symptom of thymic carcinoma. A symptomatic case suggests a poor prognosis resulting from the clinical behavior of thymic carcinoma, such as early distant metastasis or direct invasion of surrounding organs. Histologically, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common, and thymic carcinoma appears to be generally resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine 465, Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-city, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshizumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takemura
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yuba
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: Kunishige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosogi
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Osugi
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuwahara
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yokomura
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013945:Thymoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*