Surgery for recurrent thymoma during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review

Patients who have undergone surgical resection of thymoma may present later with recurrence of disease. This is most commonly in the pleural cavity. Surgery for recurrent thymoma has been shown to have a survival advantage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a reduction in capacity for routine healthcare provision. We present the outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for recurrent thymoma during the COVID-19 pandemic and our protocols to allow surgery to be performed during this time. Retrospective review of patients undergoing surgery for recurrent thymoma between March 2020 and the March 2021 at a single centre was performed. Preoperative demographic data, postoperative outcomes and the incidence of complications or postoperative COVID-19 infection were assessed. Over a 4-year period, and under the care of a single surgeon, 7 operations were performed for recurrent thymoma. Of these, three patients were operated during the COVID-19 pandemic. All patients had a history of myasthenia gravis (MG) and all patients presented with disease recurrence in the pleural cavity. No patients had post-operative complications and no patients tested positive for COVID-19 in the pre or postoperative period. Complete macroscopic resection was achieved in all patients. Surgery for recurrent thymoma can be performed safely and complete macroscopic resection can be achieved. It is possible to offer surgery with low risk of perioperative COVID infection and related morbidity and mortality. Given the benefits seen in survival and disease-free survival, we believe surgery for recurrent thymoma should continue to be advocated even during the current viral pandemic.