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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2011; 59(3): 153-157
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1250657
Original Thoracic

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Prognostic Factors for Survival in Patients with Thymic Epithelial Tumors

S. Demirci1 , K. Turhan2 , N. Ozsan3 , D. Yalman1 , A. Cakan2 , G. Cok4 , U. Cagirici2 , S. Ozkok1
  • 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • 3Department of Pathology, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
  • 4Department of Chest Diseases, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
Further Information

Publication History

received August 9, 2010

Publication Date:
08 April 2011 (online)

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Abstract

Background: Aim of the study was to identify and evaluate the prognostic efficacy of standard clinicopathological factors of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) for treatment-related outcomes. Materials and Methods: All patients treated between 1993–2008 at Ege University Faculty of Medicine Departments of Radiation Oncology and Thoracic Surgery were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Forty-seven patients with a median age of 51 (range: 24–72) were identified. Complete resection was performed in 23 (51.1 %), incomplete resection with microscopic residues in 17 (37.8 %), subtotal resection with gross residues in 2 (4.4 %) and biopsy in 5 (11.1 %) patients. Radiotherapy was administered to 39 (83 %) patients. Median follow-up duration was 51 months (range: 3–168 months). Five-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 93 %, 90 % and 85 % for thymoma and 80 %, 66 % and 72 % for thymic carcinoma patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the extent of resection was the only significant prognostic factor for OS (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The most important prognostic factor for overall survival was the extent of resection. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are required to confirm the prognostic factors and to obtain a better understanding of the biological behavior of TETs.

Key words

thymus (incl. thymoma) - radiation therapy - outcomes (includes mortality - morbidity)

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Dr. Senem Demirci

Department of Radiation Oncology
Ege University
Faculty of Medicine

35100 Izmir

Turkey

Phone: +90 23 23 90 44 76

Fax: +90 23 23 88 42 94

Email: senem.demirci@ege.edu.tr