title: Clinical outcomes with chemotherapy for advanced thymic carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of thymic carcinoma have not been investigated in detail because of its rarity. The aim of this study was to elucidate the disease profile, outcomes, and prognostic factors for survival among patients with advanced thymic carcinoma treated with palliative-intent chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of 40 patients treated with palliative-intent chemotherapy for advanced thymic carcinoma between 1991 and 2011 in our institution. Clinical demographics, histology, overall survival, and factors expected to predict survival were analyzed. Differences in survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 22 males (55.0%) and 18 females (45.0%). The median age at diagnosis was 58.5 years. The most common metastatic sites at diagnosis were lung (45.0%), lymph nodes (20.0%), liver (15.0%), bone (15.0%), and brain (5.0%). The most common histological subtypes were squamous cell carcinoma (70.0%), followed by neuroendocrine carcinoma (17.5%), and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (7.5%). The response rate for first-line chemotherapy was 47.5%. The median survival time was 24.5 months (95% confidence interval 20.9-43.5 months). Overall survival rates at 1-, 2-, and 5-years were 72.5%, 52.5%, and 17.5%, respectively. In uni- and multivariate analyses, the only favorable prognostic factor for overall survival was response to first-line chemotherapy (p=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Response to first-line chemotherapy may be implicated as a potential surrogate for survival in advanced thymic carcinoma.
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious diseases Center Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8677, Japan. y-okuma@cick.jp
authors: Yusuke
authors: Y
authors: Okuma
authors: Yukio
authors: Y
authors: Hosomi
authors: Yusuke
authors: Y
authors: Takagi
authors: Eisaku
authors: E
authors: Sasaki
authors: Tsunekazu
authors: T
authors: Hishima
authors: Yoshiharu
authors: Y
authors: Maeda
authors: Masahiko
authors: M
authors: Shibuya
authors: Tatsuru
authors: T
authors: Okamura
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013945:Thymoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult