title: Thymoma: Results of treatment and role of radiotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to assess results of treatment, factors influencing prognosis with regard to causes of failure and treatment tolerance in patients with thymoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1966 and 2006, 63 patients with thymoma had been treated at the Centre of Oncology in Krakow. Patients were treated by means of different treatment modalities: surgery followed by radiotherapy (52%), radiotherapy alone (13%), chemoradiotherapy alone (15%), surgery followed by chemoradiotherapy (5%), surgery alone (5%) and others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 10-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) was 79%, disease free survival (DFS) was 57% and overall survival (OS) was 57%. Masaoka stage was the only independent prognostic factor for LRRFS. Masaoka stage and method of radiotherapy delivery (higher photon energies), were independent prognostic factors for OS. For DFS, the independent prognostic factors were age, type of treatment (favoured surgery followed by radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy), Masaoka stage and year of start of treatment. Most common reactions were lung fibrosis in 36% of patients (mainly asymptomatic in most patients), pneumonitis (9%) and oesophagitis (4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy and modern radiotherapy techniques are correlated with improvement of survival in patients with early stage thymoma.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Oncology Department, Centre of Oncology, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hetnał
authors.affiliation: Brain, Head and Neck Cancer Unit, Centre of Oncology, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Małecki
authors.affiliation: Breast and Thoracic Cancer Unit, Centre of Oncology, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolanin
authors.affiliation: Breast and Thoracic Cancer Unit, Centre of Oncology, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korzeniowski
authors.affiliation: Radiation Oncology Department, Centre of Oncology, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Walasek
keywords: Prognostic factors; Radiotherapy; Surgery; Thymoma