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Adjuvant radiation therapy for stage II thymoma
Abeel A Mangi1, Cameron D Wright, James S Allan
1Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, USA.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|October 29, 2002
Summary
Adjuvant radiation therapy did not improve survival or recurrence rates for patients with stage II thymoma after complete resection. Most stage II thymoma patients can be observed without adjuvant radiation therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Thoracic Surgery
Background:
- Thymoma presents an indolent natural history, complicating research and treatment guidelines.
- Adjuvant radiation therapy for Masaoka stage II thymoma remains controversial.
- The benefit of adjuvant radiation in this patient group is uncertain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant radiation therapy in stage II thymoma patients.
- To determine the impact on disease-specific survival and tumor recurrence.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 155 thymoma resections (1972-1999) at Massachusetts General Hospital.
- Analysis of 49 patients with Masaoka stage II thymoma, comparing those who received radiation (n=14) versus those who did not (n=35).
- Medline search (1966-2001) and secondary reference review of world literature.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in local or distant recurrence rates between radiated and non-radiated stage II thymoma patients.
- 10-year disease-specific survival was 100% in both groups (p=0.87).
- One late recurrence occurred in the non-radiated group, outside the typical radiation field.
Conclusions:
- Adjuvant radiation therapy is not generally required for Masaoka stage II thymoma following complete resection.
- Observation is a suitable management strategy for most stage II thymoma patients post-surgery.