Thymoma natural history: Difference between revisions

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*The location of the tumor
*The location of the tumor
*The stage of the tumor
*The stage of the tumor
:*The Prognosis is much worse for stage III or IV thymomas as compared with stage I and II tumors.
:*The prognosis is much worse for stage III or IV thymomas as compared with stage I and II tumors.
:*Patients with stage III and IV tumors may nonetheless survive for several years with appropriate oncological management.
:*Patients with stage III and IV tumors may nonetheless survive for several years with appropriate oncological management.
*Whether the tumor can be removed completely by surgery
*Resectability of the tumor
*The patient's general health
*The patient's general health
*Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred.
*Primary diagnosis vs. recurrence
*The histologic types include lymphocyte predominant, epithelial predominant, and mixed. The mixed histologic type was associated with the worst prognosis.
*Histologic type (mixed histologic type is associated with the worst prognosis)<ref name="www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov">{{Cite web  | last =  | first =  | title = A review of prognostic factors in thymic mali... [J Thorac Oncol. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI | url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21847050 | publisher =  | date =  | accessdate = }}</ref>
*the presence of [[myasthenia gravis]] at diagnosis is of less prognostic significance today.<ref name="www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov">{{Cite web  | last =  | first =  | title = A review of prognostic factors in thymic mali... [J Thorac Oncol. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI | url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21847050 | publisher =  | date =  | accessdate = }}</ref>
*The stage and the surgical excision of thymoma at the diagnosis are important prognostic factors for recurrence and survival.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:49, 28 September 2015

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Amr Marawan, M.D. [2] Ahmad Al Maradni, M.D. [3]

Overview

If left untreated, thymoma may progress to invade the mediastinum and the surrounding structures. Depending on the stage of the tumor at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis may vary. However, the prognosis is generally regarded as good. Common complications of thymoma include the pressure effect of the mass itself, autoimmune diseases, and rarely, progression to malignancy.

Natural History, Complications and Prognosis

Natural history

  • One-third of patients have their thymomas discovered because of an associated autoimmune disorder. The most common of those conditions is myasthenia gravis: 10–15% of patients with myasthenia gravis have thymoma. Conversely, 30–45% of patients with thymomas have myasthenia gravis.
  • Patients with thymoma demonstrate a tendency for local mediastinal recurrence and plural ‘‘droplet’’ recurrence presumably caused by mediastinal plural invasion after resection.[1]

Complications

Complications associated with thymoma may include:

Complications of Radiotherapy

The most common complications of radiotherapy are:[1]

Complications of Surgery

The most common complications of thymectomy are:

  • Complications of the procedure such as bleeding, infection, damage to other organs, nerve injuries (bilateral phrenic nerve injury), and respiratory failure.
  • Recurrence has been described 10 to 20 years after removal of the primary lesion, so long-term follow up is very important.
  • Live attenuated vaccines such as yellow fever vaccine may have adverse effects after thymectomy due to an inadequate T-cell response.

Complications of Thymic Biopsy

The complications of thymic biopsy include:

Prognosis

The prognosis of thymoma depends on the following:

  • The location of the tumor
  • The stage of the tumor
  • The prognosis is much worse for stage III or IV thymomas as compared with stage I and II tumors.
  • Patients with stage III and IV tumors may nonetheless survive for several years with appropriate oncological management.
  • Resectability of the tumor
  • The patient's general health
  • Primary diagnosis vs. recurrence
  • Histologic type (mixed histologic type is associated with the worst prognosis)[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Results of surgical treatment for t... [J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1984] - PubMed - NCBI".
  2. Thomas CR, Wright CD, Loehrer PJ (1999). "Thymoma: state of the art". Journal of Clinical Oncology : Official Journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 17 (7): 2280–9. PMID 10561285. Text "accessdate" ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

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