Charles R. Thomas MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Purpose/Objective(s):TT are rare and poorly understood tumors. TT are often asymptomatic until advanced stage, causing significant morbidity and treatment-related complications. Outcomes vary depending on the clinical stage and histologic subtype of TT. The specific aim was to describe the clinical outcomes of patients (pts) with thymic tumors (TT) evaluated at a NCI-Designated Cancer Center over a ten-year period. Materials/Methods:The study design as a retrospective case-series of thymic malignancies treated at a NCI-Designated Cancer Center treated at our institution over a 10 year period, including disease presentation and treatment response to inform potential future research in TT. All pts, eighteen years old or older, with TT seen at OHSU between January 1, 2001 and June 30, 2011 were used in this analysis. Subjects were eligible for inclusion if they were seen during this period and diagnosed with any malignancy arising from the thymus gland, irrespective of histologic subtype. Using a case series design, data were collected in a retrospective manner. The medical record was systematically reviewed for pre-specified variables, including demographic data, tumor histology and stage, treatment history, and survival data.Results:Twenty-eight pts were identified with a TT treated at during the defined decade. The mean age at diagnosis was 55 yrs. 17 pts had thymoma (61%), 8 had thymic carcinoma (29%), and the remainder had other TT. Of the total cohort, the majority were male (61%), lifetime never smokers (61%), and Caucasian (96%). Nine pts had myasthenia gravis symptoms (32%). Symptoms at presentation were varied but many experienced chest discomfort/pain, dyspnea, cough, and/or fatigue. The majority were treated with surgery (93%) and radiation therapy (68%) with a mean dose of 54.2 Gy, while 54% received at least one type of chemotherapy (range 0-5). The median DFS was 110 months for thymoma, 30 months for thymic carcinoma, and 52.5 months for the other thymic tumors. The median OS has not been reached for the group of pts.Conclusions:Using a retrospective design, we were able to capture the clinical course of pts with TT treated at our tertiary care institution over a ten-year period. Pts were treated with standard therapies, and survival (both disease-free and overall) is similar to historical reports. In addition to longer follow-up, these data suggest additional research should be undertaken to better characterize associated causes of TT. Future research should evaluate for tumor genetic abnormalities potentially amenable to targeted interventions which may improve DFS and OS, especially for aggressive variants of TT.

Thomas, C, Thymic Tumors: A Retrospective Review of the 10-Year Experience @ a NCI-Designated Cancer Center.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14041357.html