Hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy (HIOC) for Stage IVa thymic malignancy may improve 5-year disease-free...

Stage IVa thymic malignancy has limited treatments. This study evaluated whether hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy (HIOC) after radical resection of Stage IVa thymic malignancy improves survival.

All patients who underwent resection, with or without HIOC, for Stage IVa thymic malignancy at a single center from 1990 to 2021 were reviewed.

Thirty-four patients were identified; 22 surgery-only versus 12 surgery and HIOC (60 min cisplatin regimen 175 mg/m² ). Demographics and comorbidities were similar between groups. Three patients in each group were carcinomas; remainder were thymomas. Thirty-two patients underwent attempted macroscopic complete resection; 22 operations succeeded, 68.8%. Significant complications were similar between groups, 18.2% surgery-only versus 25.0% HIOC, p = 0.68. Median time to recurrence trended longer for HIOC patients (42.9 vs. 32.9 months in surgery-only, p = 0.77). Overall survival, 5-year, was similar (75.8% HIOC vs. 76.2% surgery-only, p = 0.91). On stratified analysis, thymoma patients with macroscopic complete resection and HIOC experienced similar 5-year Overall (80.0% vs. 100.0% surgery-only, p = 0.157) but longer trending 5-year disease-free (85.7% vs. 40.0%, p = 0.18) and 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (85.7% vs. 68.6%, p = 0.75).

This retrospective cohort study treating Stage IVa thymic malignancy with radical pleurectomy, with or without HIOC, found addition of HIOC-signaled delayed recurrence and improved disease-free survival.