Clinical study of operated nine thymic carcinomas

Nine cases of thymic carcinoma (5 males and 4 females) were operated in our hospital between 1990 and 1998. These cases included 4 squamous cell carcinomas, 2 small cell carcinomas, 2 undifferentiated carcinomas and one adenocarcinoma. Preoperative chemotherapy were performed in 3 cases. All cases underwent median-sternotomy followed by mediastinal irradiation, 4 had total resection of the tumor, 2 had subtotal resection and 3 had exploratory thoracotomy followed by mediastinal irradiation. Adjuvant chemotherapy were administered in 4 cases and re-operation were performed in 2 cases. We applied Masaoka's clinical staging for thymoma, nine cases consisted of 6 stage III cases, 2 stage IV b cases and one stage IV a case. Within 2 years after operation, 3 cases (two complete resection cases and one exploratory thoracotomy case) were died of the carcinoma. However, two cases of squamous cell carcinoma have been alive more than 5 years after surgery followed by chemoradiation. The remaining 4 patients are alive either with or without the carcinoma after 7 to 28 months after operation. Thymic carcinoma is not so common mediastinal tumor but is expected to increase in the future. The treatment of thymic carcinoma remains a controversial matter and the survival is poor compared with invasive thymoma, but multimodal-therapy would contribute to improvement of the results in treatment for thymic carcinoma especially in squamous cell carcinoma.     

Surgical treatment of thymoma.

OBJECTIVE: To describe experience with the surgical treatment of thymoma. DESIGN: A retrospective study. Setting: A teaching hospital at the University of Ottawa. PATIENTS: Over 25 years, 42 consecutive patients (22 men, 20 women) who had a thymoma requiring operation. INTERVENTIONS: Thymectomy. OUTCOME MEASURES: Age, sex, association with myasthenia gravis, presence of a paraneoplastic syndrome, extent of surgical resection, tumour size, histologic features of the tumour, clinical staging of the thymoma and short- and long-term outcome after surgery. RESULTS: The mean (and standard deviation) age of the patients was 52.8 (12.5) years. Thirteen patients had myasthenia gravis. With respect to tumour staging, 24 patients had stage I, 7 had stage II and 11 had stage III disease. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Radiotherapy was used as an adjunct to surgical treatment in 83% of patients with stages II and III disease. Fifty-one percent of patients available for follow-up survived 175.1 months, and the cumulative 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 87.3% and 81.4% respectively. Only 1 patient died of metastatic thymoma. Complete or partial remission of myasthenia gravis was seen in 10 (77%) affected patients. Mixed cellular histologic features and a tumour size of less than 115 cm3 were more commonly seen with stage I disease. CONCLUSIONS: Thymomas are characterized by slow growth and prolonged survival even in patients with invasive disease as long as the tumour is resected completely and treatment is accompanied by radiotherapy.     

Usefulness of chemotherapy as prophylaxis of tumor recurrence after liver transplantation in advanced hepatocellular carcinomas

INTRODUCTION: The effectiveness of chemotherapy as prophylaxis of tumor recurrence after liver transplantation in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma is controversial. AIM: Our goal was to assess the outcomes of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with chemotherapy after liver transplant. METHODS: Ten patients with liver transplants performed between 1993-2002 were men of mean age 55 years. The etiology of cirrhosis was hepatitis C in four patients, alcoholic cirrhosis in four, and cryptogenic cirrhosis in two. Immunosuppressive therapy was cyclosporine in five patients and tacrolimus in five. The chemotherapy regimen used adriamycin (20 mg/m2 weekly for 20 weeks). Six patients were stage IVA and four stage III. Hepatocellular carcinoma was known in five patients and incidental in the other five. Pathology revealed well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma in six patients and moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma in four. Five patients had vascular invasion. RESULTS: After a mean posttransplant follow-up of 28 months, six patients (60%) were alive without tumor recurrence, three (30%) had died from tumor recurrence and one due to P. carinii pneumonia. Disease-free survival among patients with stage III was 50% and 80% for stage IVA. Three patients with vascular invasion died of tumor recurrence, and the other two are alive and free of disease. Disease-free survival rates were 83% in patients with well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma and 25% in those with moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. Tolerance of chemotherapy was good with two withdrawals due to nephrotoxicity and myelotoxicity and one death from pneumonia. CONCLUSION: The use of adriamycin in patients undergoing liver transplant due to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma may be useful to prevent tumor recurrence; it is well tolerated. The presence of vascular tumor invasion and a lower grade of histologic differentiation were associated with a poor prognosis.     

The role of surgical therapy for esophageal microcytoma. Experience of there clinical cases and results analysis

Small cell carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare tumor. It was described for the first time in 1952 by McKeown and 200 cases have been reported till now. Because of its similarity with small cell carcinoma of the lung, the treatment of this tumor is controversial. In our Institute we treated three patients with small cell carcinoma of the esophagus. All subjects underwent subtotal esophagectomy with esophagogastroanastomosis through laparotomic and thoracotomic approach. Histologically, the tumor was classified as pure SCEC in one patient and mixed SCEC in the other two. The stage I and II patients received operation as single treatment. The two patients are alive and disease free 219 and 193 months after surgery. The third patient, classified at stage III, underwent postoperative chemotherapy but local and distant recurrence was observed 11 months after surgical resection. He was submitted to a second choice chemotherapy, but he died 24 months after the operation. The long-term survival observed in our two patients treated by surgery is the longest described in literature. Our experience seems to demonstrate that an early diagnosis and oncological radical resection, may be helpful in the long-term prognosis even in presence of a very aggressive neoplasm.     

Early results with combined modality therapy for carcinoma of the esophagus.

Since January 1984, 74 patients (61 men, 13 women; age range: 43-76 years) with carcinoma of the esophagus were evaluated. Fifty-two patients had squamous cell carcinoma and 22 patients had adenocarcinoma. Sixty-three patients had preoperative chemotherapy and radiation that consisted of cis-platinum and VP-16 for squamous cell carcinoma and cis-platinum 5-FU for adenocarcinoma combined with 4500-6000 rads. Thirty-four patients were staged inoperable at the completion of the 4-month treatment regimen. Eleven patients had surgery alone because they refused or were not candidates for the preoperative regimen. Twenty-nine patients completed the combined modality regimen and have had esophagogastrostomy. All patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation demonstrated improved swallowing and a dramatic reduction of tumor mass early in the course of therapy and have been able to maintain oral nutrition without other support in the posttreatment period. Of the 34 patients who had chemotherapy and radiation therapy as palliation, 18 are currently living. One patient died secondary to complications of chemotherapy, another patient died at 9 months of myocardial infarction. The remaining patients died secondary to their disease. Of the 29 patients who had radiation therapy and chemotherapy plus esophagogastrostomy, 25 are alive. There were no operative deaths. One patient died at 9 months of stroke. Three other patients had recurrence and died 1 year after surgery. Of the 11 patients who had surgery alone, two have died of the disease. Of the 29 patients who completed the integrated therapy, 10 had no evidence of residual tumor in the specimen, and in an additional five patients only microscopic foci were evident. These early results are an encouragement to continue the multidiscipline approach to carcinoma of the esophagus in the hope that the quality of life and disease-free interval, as well as ultimate survival, will be enhanced.     

Induction chemotherapy, cytoreductive surgery and intraoperative hyperthermic pleural irrigation in patients with stage IVA thymoma

The optimal treatment for Masaoka stage IVA thymoma remains controversial. Whilst extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) has been proposed, we sought to examine the results of our institutional preference for induction chemotherapy, cytoreductive surgery and intraoperative hyperthermic pleural irrigation. We undertook a retrospective study of patients undergoing surgery for Masaoka stage IVA thymoma following induction chemotherapy over a three-year period at our institution. Between February 2007 and February 2010, 42 patients underwent surgery for thymoma. Six patients underwent surgery with intent to perform cytoreductive surgery and intraoperative hyperthermic pleural irrigation. Complete cytoreductive surgery was not feasible in one patient and thymectomy only was performed. One patient had re-operation for recurrent disease 24 months after the first operation and there were therefore seven procedures undertaken in six patients during the study period. There were no in-hospital deaths. Median follow-up was 18.8 months (range 1.5-31.9 months). One patient died 14 months postoperatively from an acute cardiovascular event. The four remaining patients are alive and well with no evidence of disease recurrence. Multimodality therapy consisting of induction chemotherapy and cytoreductive surgery is a safe, feasible treatment for stage IVA thymoma. Our experience suggest that full pleurectomy is an alternative to EPP.     

Synchronous B3 thymoma and lung bronchoalveolar carcinoma

The association between thymic tumors and other intrathoracic or extrathoracic neoplasms is relatively rare; the synchronous occurrence of thymoma and bronchoalveolar carcinoma of the lung has never been described so far. A huge B3 cystic thymoma was found at thoracotomy to be associated with stage IV bronchoalveolar carcinoma (intraparenchymal and pleural metastases). The thymic tumor was completely resected; lung cancer was biopsied only for diagnosis and staging purposes. After an uneventful postoperative course the patient underwent chemotherapy; she is still alive and well one year after surgery.     

Multimodality approach to treatment of carcinoma of the esophagus

We conducted a combined treatment pilot project in 17 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus. Thirteen of the patients initially had stage I or II disease, and four had stage III disease. Each patient received three cycles of chemotherapy consisting of a high dose of cisplatin (100 mg/sq m), followed by continuous infusion of fluorouracil (1,000 mg/sq m/day for five days). Thirteen patients had a favorable response to the chemotherapy, and ten of the 11 responding patients with stage I or II disease were offered surgical resection. Total thoracic esophagectomies and cervical gastroesophagostomies were done in the six patients who accepted the surgical recommendation. Pathologically, five patients had stage I disease, and one had stage III disease (even in this patient the local tumor was confined within the wall of the esophagus). All six patients were alive, without evidence of disease, four to 34 months after diagnosis. Two patients with stage II disease had tumor progression, as did two of the four patients with stage III disease. Three of the nonresponding patients died of their disease two to seven months after diagnosis. The eight remaining patients, three of whom received irradiation after chemotherapy, were alive, but with evidence of persistent disease, one to seven months after entrance into the study.     

Unsuspected residual disease at the resection margin after surgery for lung cancer: fate of patients after long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study evaluates the survival impact of the residual margin disease after bronchial resection for cancer and suggests tactics in cases of microresidual disease. METHODS: Between March 1988 and 1998, 4530 consecutive patients underwent surgery for non-small cell lung cancer at our institution. Only incomplete resections after microscopic evaluation (R1) were included in the study. Residual tumour cells were found on the bronchial resection margins of 39 lobectomies, 12 pneumonectomies, 4 segmental resections and one bilobectomy. Histological findings were: squamous cell carcinoma in 38 cases, adenocarcinoma in 15 and large cell carcinoma in three. In all 56 cases, invasive mucosal carcinoma was found exclusively on the bronchial resection margin. Nineteen tumours were stage I; 12, stage II; 17, stage IIIa; 5, stage IIIb; and three, stage IV. Nineteen patients (59.3%) with early stage tumours (I and II) received adjuvant radiation therapy and only three chemotherapy. RESULTS: The prognosis in these cases was disease-stage related (21 and 38.4% of deaths due to the disease). Forty-one percent of the stage IIIa patients received radiation therapy and 17.6% chemotherapy: 70.6% died of tumour relapse. Forty percent of the stage IIIb patients received radiation therapy and 20% chemotherapy: 60% died of disease progression. All of the stage IV patients died within 3 months from surgical resection. At the end of the study, 21 patients were alive after an interval of 22-142 months (18 in stage I or II). The 10-year actuarial survival rate was 44%. The percentage survival for stage IIIa was 16.8, after 10 years, and fell to 45 months for stage IIIb. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of our stage I or II patients with microresidual tumour on the bronchial resection margin (R1) was similar to that of the patients in the same disease stage, whose resection was microscopically radical (R0) and the same was true of the patients in stage III. In patients with residual tumour cells on the bronchial stump we did not observe worsened long-term survivals.     

Cis-platin combination chemotherapy for non-seminomatous germ-cell tumours of the testis

Eighteen patients with metastatic non-seminomatous germ-cell tumours (NSGCTs) of the testis were treated with cis-platin combination chemotherapy between 1979 and 1985. Three of the patients received chemotherapy after a staging lymphadenectomy (stage 2 disease) and were free of disease at follow-up. Fifteen patients with stage II disease and adverse prognostic factors or stage III disease received initial chemotherapy followed in 11 cases by surgical exploration. Eleven of these patients were free of disease at a median follow-up of 52 months, 1 was alive at 35 months with a mature teratoma, which is non-progressive, 2 died of their cancer, and 1 died of acute respiratory distress syndrome after surgery. The patients who failed to respond to therapy had associated bulky disease. The overall 5-year survival rate is 81%. Before the introduction of cis-platin there were no survivors among 9 patients with metastatic NSGCTs treated initially with chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the good results reported with cis-platin combination chemotherapy for NSGCTs are reproducible in other populations and centres.     

Is aggressive local treatment necessary for diffuse liver involvement in patients with progression of stage 4s neuroblastoma to stage 4?

Three patients with stage 4S neuroblastoma without MYC-N amplification who progressed to stage 4 with persistent liver involvement, were treated with iodine 131-meta-iodobenzylguanidine therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Successive histologic examination of the liver showed differentiation of the tumor in 2 patients and fibrosis in the third. One patient died of brain metastases at the age of 30 months. The other 2 patients are alive at 50 and 44 months. Diffuse liver involvement in patients with stage 4 progression of previous stage 4S without MYC-N amplification may differentiate after treatment. The aim of this report is to draw attention to major liver surgery that it may not be necessary in tumors without MYC-N amplification, despite the persistence of lesions in the liver.     

Management and outcome of inoperable Wilms tumor. A report of National Wilms Tumor Study-3.

METHODS: The authors reviewed 131 children enrolled in National Wilms Tumor Study-3 (NWTS-3) who received preoperative treatment for tumors unable to be resected at surgery or judged inoperable by imaging evaluation. Preoperative biopsies were performed on 103 patients. Patients were assigned a pretreatment stage: stage II (11 patients), stage III (39 patients), stage IV (66 patients), and unknown (15 patients). The chemotherapy regimen included dactinomycin and vincristine (81 patients), dactinomycin, vincristine, and doxorubicin (30 patients), dactinomycin, vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (10 patients), and other (8 patients). Preoperative radiation therapy was started concurrently with chemotherapy (27 patients) or because of lack of response (14 patients). Two patients were given preoperative irradiation without chemotherapy. RESULTS: Response to therapy was assessed after the first trial of chemotherapy. Partial responses were noted in 110 patients (85%), 3 had complete responses, 13 had no response or progression of disease, and 5 patients were not able to be evaluated. There were no significant differences in preoperative response to the different chemotherapy regimens. Median time interval from diagnosis to nephrectomy was 58.5 days. When compared with NWTS-3 patients not receiving preoperative treatment, survival was reduced for patients treated preoperatively (88% vs. 74%, respectively, 4-year survival), which was only partially explained by differences in stage distribution. Median duration of follow-up was 5.9 years. Lack of response to the preoperative treatment was associated with a poor prognosis. Eight children died before removal of the primary tumor. All eight had either progressive disease or no response to the preoperative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of preoperative treatment can facilitate subsequent surgical resection in selected patients with inoperable Wilms tumors. Although these very large tumors--judged unable to be resected--have a somewhat worse prognosis, nephrectomy was completed in 93% of patients after preoperative treatment. However, preoperative treatment will lead to less accurate surgical and pathologic staging, and undertreatment should be avoided in these high-risk patients.     

Extrapleural pneumonectomy for thoracic malignancies

Extrapleural pneumonectomy has been used by thoracic surgeons in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma as well as other pleural diseases, such as tuberculous empyema. Recently, this operative procedure has been also sporadically applied for the treatment of carcinomatous pleuritis of lung cancer and/or invasive thymoma in some institutions. We performed this operation in 24 patients with thoracic malignancy: 15 patients with carcinomatous pleuritis of primary lung adenocarcinoma (6 patients with T4N0 disease, 2 with T4N1, and 7 with T4N2), 3 patients with stage IV a thymoma, and 6 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (2 patients with stage II disease, 3 with stage III, and 1 with stage IV). All patients survived the operation and were discharged from the hospital. Major complications were intrathoracic hemorrhage and empyema in 2 patients each. The median survival time and 5-year survival rate of lung cancer patients were 34 months and 45.5%, respectively. All patients with thymoma are alive now without disease 9 to 133 months after operation. All patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma except 1, who lately underwent this treatment, died of disease from 15 to 27 months after surgery. Our results indicate that carefully selected patients with carcinomatous pleuritis of lung cancer and thymoma may be candidates for extrapleural pneumonectomy for cure. Nevertheless, the ultimate value of this surgical treatment should be ascertained in a prospective study with a large number of patients.     

泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤八例报告并文献复习

目的 探讨泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤的组织学特点、临床表现、治疗和预后.方法 泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤8例.其中膀胱肉瘤样癌4例,男3例,女1例,年龄58、63、78、79岁,均因无痛性肉眼血尿就诊,肿瘤直径平均4.5(1.5～6.7)cm,为不规则、广基的浸润性肿物.行膀胱部分切除术2例,TURBt 1例,膀胱癌根治术1例.肾肉瘤样癌1例,男,64岁,因肉眼血尿就诊,伴同侧肾上腺和胰腺转移,行肾癌根治术和胰腺体尾切除术.转移性右肾上腺肉瘤样癌1例,男,47岁,原发灶为左肺肉瘤样癌,行左肺下叶和右肾上腺切除术.肾盂癌肉瘤1例,女,64岁,表现为无痛性肉眼血尿,行左肾、输尿管及部分膀胱切除术.膀胱癌肉瘤1例,男,77岁,无痛性肉眼血尿,肿瘤直径2.5～3.0 cm,行TURBt术.8例均经病理检查确诊.8例均获随访,随访时间36～96个月.结果 膀胱肉瘤样癌4例中:1例G_3、T_(2a)者行TURBt,术后行丝裂霉素膀胱灌注化疗,随访96个月无瘤生存;1例63岁女性先行TURBt,术后病理为肉瘤样癌、T_1伴有原位癌(T_m),1个月后行膀胱癌根治切除术.随访36个月无瘤生存;1例T3a者行膀胱部分切除术,术后辅以放疗,随访36个月无瘤生存;1例T4a者行姑息性膀胱部分切除术,术后病理切缘阳性,术后2个月死于肿瘤多脏器转移.肾肉瘤样癌患者术后2个月开始化疗(盐酸吉西他滨加卡铂),又出现肝、肺转移,术后5个月死亡.转移性右肾上腺肉瘤样癌患者术后在外院行3个疗程化疗(顺铂加依托泊苷),5个月后出现左肾上腺转移,术后7个月死亡.肾盂癌肉瘤患者的肿瘤以软骨肉瘤为主,伴少许鳞状细胞癌及未分化癌,随访60个月无瘤生存.膀胱癌肉瘤患者肿瘤病理分期为T2a,主要是平滑肌肉瘤,伴有鳞状细胞痛和腺癌,术后予以全身化疗(盐酸吉西他滨加卡铂),随访12个月死于慢性阻塞性肺气肿、肺部感染.结论 泌尿系统肉瘤样癌和癌肉瘤少见,多见于老年男性,恶性程度高,浸润性强,预后差.肿瘤的病理分期和治疗是影响预后的因素,早期诊断和积极的综合治疗可望获得较好的治疗结果、延长患者生存期.     

A case of successful preoperative chemotherapy with cisplatin and irinotecan followed by curative-intent surgery for locally advanced thymic carcinoma

The optimal chemotherapy for thymic carcinoma has yet to be determined based on clinical evidence because of the rarity of this pathological entity. We report the case of a patient with locally advanced thymic carcinoma in whom radical excision was achieved with intensive preoperative chemotherapy followed by curative-intent surgery. A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed with Masaoka-Koga stage III thymic cancer showing squamous cell carcinoma histology. Invasion to the ascending aorta and left brachiocephalic vein was suspected from imaging, so preoperative chemotherapy with three cycles of cisplatin and irinotecan was administered. Partial response to chemotherapy was achieved and the residual tumor was completely resected with subsequent surgery. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen demonstrated stage II thymic carcinoma. The patient has shown no evidence of recurrence or surgical complications as of 46 months after completing preoperative chemotherapy.     

Adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced tumors of the head and neck

In May 1978 a multimodal approach was begun for the management of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who presented with stage III and IV disease and whose chance of control by surgery alone was estimated to be 20 percent or less. Twenty-eight patients received two courses of chemotherapy consisting of cis-diamminedichloro platinum, vincristine and infusion bleomycin before undergoing surgery. The clinical response to this therapy judged preoperatively was surprisingly high. Three patients had no histologic evidence of tumor in the resected specimens, and toxicity was minimal. Twenty-five patients were treated surgically. No pre- or postoperative complications were attributable to chemotherapy. Three patients were treated with radiation therapy, one of whom died at 12 months with recurrent disease. Two patients died from causes unrelated to the tumor. Two patients have had recurrence of tumor. All others remain free of disease with follow-up of up ot 18 months.     

The multimodality treatment of thymic carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Thymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm more invasive and with a poorer prognosis than ordinary thymoma. Complete curative resection is sometimes not possible, but good response rates to chemotherapy are reported in literature. We report our experience with seven cases of thymic carcinoma, who took part to a multimodality treatment including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and post-operative radiotherapy in our center. METHODS: Since June 1989, seven previously untreated patients were enrolled. The primary chemotherapy consisted of three courses of cisplatin (P; 75 mg/m(2) i.v., day 1), epidoxorubicin (E; 100 mg/m(2) i.v., day 1) and etoposide (VP16; 120 mg/m(2) i.v., days 1, 3 and 5), every 3 weeks. Surgery was performed following complete hematological recovery. After surgery, all patients underwent radiation therapy to the tumor areas, operatively marked with clips, at doses of 45 (complete resection) or 60 Gy (incomplete resection). RESULTS: The pre-operative diagnosis of thymic carcinoma was performed in four cases by a mediastinotomy, and in the remaining cases, by an ultrasound-guided (n=2) or a computed tompography-guided (n=1) fine needle aspiration. All patients responded (one completely) to the chemotherapy regimen. Surgical resection was complete in four cases (histological examination negative in one case). Three patients are still alive and well (62-136 months from the diagnosis), two are alive with relapse at 16 and 85 months, one patient died at 86 months from another cause, and one patient died at 18 months from local relapse and lung metastases. CONCLUSIONS: A pre-operative shrinkage of the thymic carcinoma by means of neoadjuvant multi-drug chemotherapy may improve the resectability, and therefore, the survival rate. Our experience, although preliminary, is encouraging and merits additional study in a multicenter trial with a sufficient number of patients to draw definitive conclusions.     

侵袭性胸腺瘤手术治疗预后因素的随访

目的 观察侵袭性胸腺瘤的手术治疗效果,并分析影响患者预后的相关因素.方法 回顾性分析2000年1月至2009年12月接受手术治疗的59例侵袭性胸腺瘤患者的临床及随访资料.患者为连续病例,男性34例,女性25例;年龄18～72岁,平均49岁.根治性手术44例,姑息切除或活检15例.Masaoka分期:Ⅱ期18例,Ⅲ期30例,Ⅳ期11例;Ⅱ期患者术后未接受辅助放疗或化疗,Ⅲ、Ⅳ期患者术后接受辅助放疗和(或)化疗26例,未接受辅助放疗或化疗15例.分析手术方式、Masaoka分期、辅助放疗和(或)化疗与患者预后的关系.结果 本组59例患者随访时间1～111个月,平均54个月;失访3例,失访率6.1%.全组局部复发或全身转移19例,死亡14例,3年、5年生存率分别为86.8%、70.8%.单因素分析显示接受完全性切除手术、Masaoka分期较早及术后接受辅助放疗和(或)化疗的患者有较高的生存率(P＜0.05).多因素分析显示是否完全性切除、术后接受辅助放疗和(或)化疗是影响患者预后的独立因素(P＜0.05).结论 Masaoka分期与侵袭性胸腺瘤患者预后相关;完全性切除手术及术后辅助放化疗可显著提高患者生存率;部分复发患者再次手术后亦可获得长期生存.     

Wilms' tumor: a 25-year review of the role of preoperative chemotherapy

PURPOSE: This 25-year population based, single institution review was conducted to investigate the impact of preoperative chemotherapy on surgical and histological staging in patients with Wilms' tumors. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients under the age of 15 years were identified from case notes to have had histologically verified Wilms' tumors over the 25-year period from January 1972 to December 1996. Twenty-six patients were treated initially with preoperative chemotherapy, 23 with immediate surgery. Eleven had treatment randomized within the UKCCSG WT9101 trial (UKWT3), and the remainder received initial treatment according to unit policy. Surgical stages in the two groups (preoperative chemotherapy and immediate surgery) were respectively, stage 1:14(28.5%) and 11 (22.5%), stage II: one (2%) and eight (16.3%), stage III: 11 (22.5%) and four (8.2%). Seven patients had clinical stage IV disease at presentation. Histology results were favorable in 45 patients and unfavorable in four. All patients received chemotherapy during treatment, whereas 25 (51%) also received radiotherapy. No significant difference was evident in the two groups with respect to treatment-related morbidity. Five patients relapsed, three of whom died within the period of review, but a fourth has since died. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the use of preoperative chemotherapy does not put the patient at increased risk of postoperative morbidity or reduced survival. The distribution of surgical stages suggests that limited tumor downstaging may have occurred as a result of preoperative chemotherapy.     

A consultation between Andreas Vesalius and Ambroise Paré at the deathbed of Henri II, King of France, 15 July 1559

Fifteen patients (median age 55 years; range 23-69 years) with macroscopic invasive thymoma or thymic carcinoma were treated at Groote Schuur Hospital between 1969 and 1988. Stage 3 (macroscopically invasive) disease was present in 12 patients (80%) and stage 4 (metastatic disease) in 3 (20%). Ten of the patients with stage 3 disease were treated by combined surgery and full-dose mediastinal irradiation; in 2 resection was not possible and they were treated with irradiation alone. One of the patients with stage 3 disease developed progressive thymoma (median follow-up 74 months). This patient and 2 others died; 1 from mediastinitis after surgery for thymic carcinoma and 1 of unrelated disease. Both patients treated by irradiation alone were free of disease at follow-up. In the patients with stage 3 disease, the relapse rate was 8% (crude) and the 5-year disease-free survival rate 86% (life table). The patients with stage 4 disease received cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, which was combined with further irradiation and debulking surgery in 2 of the 3 cases. These patients died of malignant disease at between 5 and 42 months, although 1 had a temporary response to chemotherapy. Tumour extent is the most important prognostic factor in these patients. A multidisciplinary approach to therapy is required.