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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020; 68(05): 433-439
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1678612
Original Thoracic
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Thymic Epithelial Tumors: Prognostic Significance and Relationship between Histology and the New TNM Staging System

Nicola Tamburini
1   Department of Morfology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of General and Thoracic Surgery, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
,
Pio Maniscalco
1   Department of Morfology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of General and Thoracic Surgery, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
,
Andrea Migliorelli
1   Department of Morfology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of General and Thoracic Surgery, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
,
Fares Nigim
2   Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
,
Francesco Quarantotto
1   Department of Morfology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of General and Thoracic Surgery, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
,
Elisa Maietti
3   Center for Clinical Epidemiology of the School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
,
Giorgio Cavallesco
1   Department of Morfology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of General and Thoracic Surgery, Sant'Anna Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

24 September 2018

04 January 2019

Publication Date:
22 February 2019 (online)

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Abstract

Background This study aims to describe the relationship between the new tumor nodes metastasis (TNM) staging and World Health Organization (WHO) classification and to identify how these two variables relate to each other and whether they possess a prognostic value in predicting survival and recurrence of disease.

Methods Medical records of 54 patients who underwent surgery for thymic epithelial tumors between 1996 and 2015 were reviewed.

The histologic type of neoplasm was classified according to the criteria of WHO and staging was evaluated using the new TNM classification system.

Results A significant correlation between the TNM stages and the histological classification was found (p < 0.001). Complete resection is related to both TNM stage and histological grading (p < 0.001). Evaluation of the 5- and 10-year survival curves shows how these are significantly correlated only at the stage (p = 0.03 and = 0.04, respectively). The risk of death at 5 and 10 years for stages III to IV is six and three times higher than in stages I to II, respectively. Regarding the disease-free survival, there is significant correlation with both staging and histology (p = 0.001 and = 0.02, respectively).

Conclusions There is a significant correlation between the new TNM staging and the histological grade WHO. The ability to implement a complete resection, the overall and disease-free survival is closely related to the thymoma stage. Furthermore, both histotype and stage correlate with disease-free survival. In fact, the least aggressive stages, both WHO and TNM, have a free time out of disease superior to advanced stages.

Keywords

thymoma - surgery - pathology - mediastinal tumor - prognosis
 

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