Factors affecting removal and prognosis of thymic tumors

One hundred and ten cases of thymic tumors were intervened surgically, including 92 thymoma, 8 thymic carcinoid, and 10 thymic carcinoma. In this series, 50.9% of the cases were complicated with various syndromes, 44.5% with myasthenia gravis (MG). Resection rate was correlated with the size and invasion of the tumor. There was significant difference in resection rate among thymoma, thymic carcinoid and thymic carcinoma. The degree of invasion undoubtedly influenced on resection. The 3-, 5- and 10- year survival rate of the thymoma were 82.7%, 68.1% and 40.0%, respectively. The prognosis depended on the pathological classification and the severity of the neighbouring invasion, but MG had no significant effect on prognosis. Recurrence and metastasis of the tumor were the main cause of late death.