Is Thymectomy Necessary in Nonmyasthenic Patients with Early Thymoma?

Abstract

In early-stage nonmyasthenic thymoma patients, thymomectomy without thymectomy through thoracotomy or VATS was associated with lower morbidity and shorter hospitalization, than thymomectomy with extended thymectomy. Postoperative myasthenia gravis did not develop in any of the patients enrolled in our study during the 57-month median follow-up period. Overall tumor recurrence rates were not significantly different between these two patient groups. On the basis of our results, we conclude that thymomectomy without thymectomy through thoracotomy or VATS is justified for early-stage nonmyasthenic thymoma patients, and longer follow-up is needed to investigate the necessity of thymectomy in this group.

The Usefulness of Positron-Emission Tomography Findings in the Management of Anterior Mediastinal Tumors

“…19) On the other hand, several recent studies note that thymothymectomy might not always be necessary in non-myasthenic thymoma patients, because there were no differences in the surgical results of patients who underwent thymomectomy with or without extended thymectomy. [20][21][22] Thus, the optimal mode of thymoma resection in non-myasthenic thymoma patients remains controversial, and the oncological indication of limited resection (thymomectomy) is unclear.…”

Outcomes of Thoracoscopic Thymectomy in Children: Experience in A Resource Challenged Setup

“…The leading cause of thoraoscopic thymectomy in western setup is myasthaenia gravis and thymoma [10] . In developing country, like ours minimally invasive thymectomy remains a challenge due to less number of cases, steeper learning curve and deficient resources.…”

Pretreatment biopsy for thymic epithelial tumors—does histology subtype matter for treatment strategy?

“…Adjuvant radiotherapy after incomplete R1/R2 resection is important in eradicating residual disease and this was not addressed (5). It is unclear if patients underwent a thymectomy or a thymomectomy, which in some reports may affect clinical outcomes (45). The ChART database is of great value for better understanding TETs.…”