Multimodality therapy for patients with invasive thymoma disseminated into the pleural cavity: the potential role of extrapleural pneumonectomy.
BACKGROUND
The optimal treatment method for thymoma with pleural dissemination remains controversial. We analyzed our experience with a multimodality approach and evaluated the role of extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) in the treatment of disseminated thymoma.


METHODS
Multimodality therapy was used to treat 11 consecutive patients with invasive thymoma disseminated into the pleural cavity. Disease was stage IVa in 9 and stage IVb disease with lymph node metastasis in 2. Our treatment strategy for those patients was induction chemotherapy with cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methylprednisolone (CAMP therapy), followed by thymectomy combined with resection of the visible disseminated nodules and postoperative radiotherapy. EPP was applied for 4 patients who had chemoresistant tumors or pleural refractory recurrence.


RESULTS
Eight patients underwent induction chemotherapy. The response rate to CAMP was 85%. Thymectomy with or without the resection of disseminated pleural tumors was performed in 7 patients and EPP in 3. Postoperative radiotherapy was administered in 6. All patients except 1 with EPP had recurrence: pleural recurrence in 7, lung in 1, and multiple organs in 2. Nine patients were retreated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, pulmonary metastasectomy, or pleurectomy. One underwent EPP for pleural recurrence. Consequently, among the 7 patients without EPP, only 1 was alive without disease and 4 were alive with pleural recurrence. In contrast, 3 of the 4 patients with EPP had no local failure and were alive without recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
In multimodality therapy for thymoma with pleural dissemination, EPP offers good local control and may lead to cure.
Ishikawa
Yoshinori
Y
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Tochigi Cancer Center, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan.
Matsuguma
Haruhisa
H
Nakahara
Rie
R
Suzuki
Haruko
H
Ui
Akiko
A
Kondo
Tetsuro
T
Kamiyama
Yukari
Y
Igarashi
Seiji
S
Mori
Kiyoshi
K
Kodama
Tetsuro
T
Yokoi
Kohei
K
D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010994:Pleura / Q000473:pathology; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D013934:Thymectomy / Q000379:methods*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*