Thoracic Surgery Oncology Quality Indicators (Part 2: Thymic Epithelial Tumors and Esophageal Cancer)

This article outlines key performance indicators for thymic epithelial tumors and esophageal cancer, emphasizing accurate staging, complete resection, and multidisciplinary care to optimize outcomes. For thymoma, priorities include computed tomography-based preoperative assessment, cautious use of biopsy, total thymectomy when feasible, selective use of neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy, and 10-year surveillance. Evidence supports esophagectomy in high-volume centers with adequate lymph node harvest, synoptic pathology reporting and use of enhanced recovery after surgery protocols. Finally, monitoring 90-day mortality, and incorporating both clinical outcomes and patient-reported outcomes into quality assessments that can be compared to benchmarks are strongly recommended.