Invasion of the great vessels or atrium predicts worse prognosis in thymic carcinoma

A Nomogram Predicting Recurrence and Guiding Adjuvant Radiation for Thymic Carcinoma After Resection

BACKGROUND

Resection is an effective treatment for thymic carcinoma. We aimed to develop a nomogram for postoperative prediction of recurrence-free survival for patients with thymic carcinoma and guide adjuvant radiotherapy.

METHODS

A total of 198 patients who underwent surgery were divided into training cohort (n = 152) and validation cohort (n = 46). Clinicopathologic features and independent factors for postoperative recurrence were analyzed. A predictive nomogram was developed based on the prognostic factors. Discrimination and predictive accuracy of the model were measured using the concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, and validation study.

RESULTS

The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence rate of 198 patients was 7.6%, 27.9%, and 39.9%, respectively. Independent predictors of recurrence-free survival on multivariate analysis were incorporated into the nomogram. Calibration curves for the probability of 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival fitted well. The C-index of the nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival was 0.862 (95% confidence interval: 0.804 to 0.919). Internal validation supported the results optimally. Adjuvant radiotherapy was effective for patients with a total score greater than 208.

CONCLUSIONS

Our nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival had good performance. Adjuvant radiotherapy should be recommended for patients with a total score greater than 208.

Trimodality Therapy for an Advanced Thymic Carcinoma With Both Aorta and Vena Cava Invasion

A case of locally advanced thymic carcinoma that was successfully resected with the great vessels after chemoradiation therapy is reported. A 57-year-old man with Masaoka stage III thymic carcinoma received two cycles of cisplatin/docetaxel and 60 Gy irradiation. The response was stable disease with 19% size reduction, and a radical resection with the ascending aorta and superior vena cava with the patient under circulatory arrest with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient has been free of disease for 28 months. Trimodality therapy with use of a cardiovascular surgical procedure might be a valuable option in locally advanced thymic carcinoma.

Radiotherapy for thymic carcinoma: adjuvant, inductive, and definitive

Although historically thymoma and thymic carcinoma have been treated surgically, radiation therapy also has an important role, either as postoperative therapy to reduce the risk of mediastinal recurrence or as part of definitive treatment for patients who cannot undergo surgery. Induction chemotherapy and molecular targeted agents may also be appropriate for thymic carcinoma, the behavior of which resembles non-small-cell lung carcinoma more than that of thymoma or invasive thymoma and is increasingly being treated like lung cancer. We present here a review of current therapies for thymic malignancies and briefly discuss the potential benefits from novel technologies for such treatment.