Management of thymomas

Thymoma is a rare neoplasm usually with an indolent growth pattern, however, local invasion and/or metastases may occur. The association with several paraneoplastic syndromes, especially myasthenia gravis, is noteworthy. Surgery has been the standard of care for early stage disease with high cure rates anticipated. The most important prognostic factors after resection are Masaoka stage, World Health Organization (WHO) histology, complete resection status and size. Multimodality therapy can result in long-term disease-free survival for patients presenting with locally advanced disease. Thymomas are sensitive to both chemotherapy and radiation therapy and are utilized with good effects in unresectable patients. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.