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Objective: The aim of this study is to describe characteristics and survival outcome of patients who underwent surgical treatment for distant thymoma relapse according to the definition of the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group., Methods: Data of patients affected by thymoma recurrence from four different institutions were collected and retrospectively reviewed. Patients with locoregional metastases who underwent nonsurgical therapies and with incomplete data on follow-up were excluded. According to the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group distant recurrence definition, patients with recurrence due to hematogenic localization were included. Clinical and pathologic characteristics were described using descriptive statistics, whereas survival outcome was calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis., Results: The analysis was conducted on 40 patients. A single localization was present in 13 patients, the relapse was intrathoracic in 28 cases (70%), and lung involvement was found in 26 cases. The liver was operated in seven cases, whereas other kinds of abdominal involvement were detected in eight cases. Adjuvant treatment was administered in 22 cases (55%).Five- and 10-year overall survival (OS) were 67% and 30%, respectively. Univariable analysis identified as significant favorable factor a low-grade histology (A, B1, B2): five-year OS at 92.3% versus 53.3% in high-grade (B3-C) (p = 0.035). Site of recurrence and number of localization did not influence the prognosis, but in patients with adjuvant therapy administration, there was a survival advantage also if not statistically significant: five-year OS 84.8% versus 54.5% in patients without adjuvant therapy (p = 0.101).Multivariable analysis confirmed as independent prognostic factor low-grade histology: hazard ratio = 0.176, 95% confidence interval 0.042-0.744, p = 0.018., Conclusions: Our study revealed a good survival outcome in patients who underwent surgery for distant thymoma recurrence, independently from the number and site of the relapse localization. Patients with A, B1, or B2 histology presented a significantly better survival than patients with B3-C., Competing Interests: Disclosure All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Total thymectomy in addition to medical treatment is an accepted standard therapy for myasthenia gravis (MG). Patients with severe generalized MG present life-threatening events, poor prognosis and higher risk of postoperative myasthenic crisis. The aim of our study is to investigate neurological and surgical results in patients with Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class IV and V MG following thymectomy., Methods: Data on 76 MG patients with preoperative MGFA classes IV and V who underwent thymectomy were retrospectively collected. Primary end points included short-term surgical outcomes and long-term neurological results including the achievement of complete stable remission and any improvement as defined by MGFA Post-Intervention Status criteria., Results: There were 27 (35.5%) males and 49 (64.5%) females; 53 (69.7%) were classified as MGFA class IV and 23 (30.3%) as class V. Thymectomy was performed through sternotomy in 25 (32.9%) patients, Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in 5 (6.6%) and Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) in 46 (60.5%). The median operative time was 120 (interquartile range: 95; 148) min. In-hospital mortality was observed in 1 (1.3%) patient and postoperative complications in 14 (18.4%) patients. The median postoperative hospital stay was 4 (interquartile range: 3; 6) days. Pathological examination revealed 31 (40.8%) thymic hyperplasia/other benign and 45 (59.2%) thymomas. Cumulative complete stable remission and improvement probabilities were 20.6% and 83.7% at 5 years and 66.9% and 97.6% at 10 years, respectively. A significant improvement rate was found in patients with age at the time of thymectomy of ≤50 years (P = 0.0236), MGFA class V (P = 0.0154) and acetylcholine receptor antibodies positivity (P = 0.0152)., Conclusions: Thymectomy in patients with severe MG yields good perioperative outcomes and satisfactory long-term neurological improvement, especially for patients younger than 50 years, with MGFA class V and anti-AChR+ MG., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG) classifies thymoma recurrences on the basis of the topographic location, but its effectiveness in prognosis prediction has not been well investigated yet. Aims of this study are to analyze survival outcome of patients surgically treated for thymoma recurrence according to the ITMIG recurrence classification and to investigate possible alternatives., Methods: From January 1, 1990, to January 7, 2017, data on 135 surgically treated patients for thymoma recurrence from three high-volume centers were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Patients were classified according to the ITMIG classification as local, regional, and distant. The ITMIG classification and alternative classifications were correlated to overall survival (OS)., Results: According to the ITMIG classification, recurrence was local in 17 (12.5%), regional in 97 (71.8%), and distant in 21 (15.7%) patients, with single localization in 38 (28.2%) and multiple localizations in 97 (71.8%). The 5- and 10-year OS were 79.9% and 49.7% in local, 68.3% and 52.6% in regional, and 66.3% and 35.4% in distant recurrences, respectively, but differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.625). A significant difference in survival was present considering single versus multiple localizations: 5- and 10-year OS of 86.2% and 81.2% versus 61.3% and 31.5% (p = 0.005, hazard ratio = 7.22, 95% confidence interval: 0.147-0.740), respectively. Combining the localization number with the recurrence site, ITMIG locoregional single recurrence had a statistically significant better survival compared with patients with ITMIG locoregional multiple recurrence or ITMIG distant recurrence (p = 0.028). Similarly, a significant difference was present considering intrathoracic single versus intrathoracic multiple versus distant recurrence (p = 0.024)., Conclusions: The ITMIG classification for thymoma recurrence did not have significant survival differences comparing local, regional, and distant recurrences. Integrating this classification with the number of the localizations may improve its effectiveness in prognosis prediction., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background and Objectives: The Masoka-Koga and tumor node metastases staging systems for thymoma are based on structures involved, but the prognostic role of the number of infiltrated/involved structures is still debated. We analyzed the prognostic role of involved structures and their combinations in locally advanced thymomas patients., Methods: Data on 174 surgically treated locally advanced thymoma patients from 1/01/1990 to 31/12/2015 were reviewed. Clinical and pathological characteristic, involved structures, number of involved structures and different combinations were correlated to cancer specific survival (CSS) using Kaplan-Meier product-limit method., Results: Five and 10-year CSS was 92% and 87%. Masaoka Stage 3 (p < 0.001), absence of pericardial involvement (p = 0.001), number of involved structures (p = 0.018), R0 (p < 0.001) and adjuvant radiotherapy (p = 0.008) were favorable prognostic CSS factors. A significant better prognosis was present in ≤2 involved structures vs >2 involved structures (5- and 10-year CSS: 95% and 93% vs. 80% and 51%). Multivariable analysis confirmed as independent prognostic factor R0 (p = 0.033, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.093, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.010-0.827) and number of involved structures (p = 0.046, HR: 0.187, 95% CI: 0.036-0.968). In Masaoka Stage 3, patients with ≤2 involved structures had a significant better CSS than patients with >2 (10-year CSS: 98% vs. 73%, p = 0.008)., Conclusions: The number of involved structures and the concomitant involvement of the pericardium seems to be associated with a poor prognosis in surgically treated advanced thymoma patients., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Thymomas are rare neoplasms with a low recurrence rate, which are preferably surgically treated. Iterative thymoma surgery has not been well investigated yet. Study aim is to analyse prognostic factors after iterative recurrence treatment., Methods: Clinical, pathological and surgical findings of 155 patients, treated for thymoma recurrence in three high-volume centres from 01/01/1990 to 1/07/2017, were retrospectively reviewed. Recurrence patterns/treatment types (surgery or chemotherapy, radiotherapy or combined) were correlated to overall (OS) and disease free survival (DFS)., Results: Myasthenia Gravis was present in 135 (87%) patients. Surgery was performed in 135/155 (87%) patients with 109 (80.7%) complete resections. Sixty (55%)patients experienced a second recurrence surgically treated in 31/60 (52%) cases with 18 (58%) complete resections. Eleven (61%) patients experienced a third recurrence and nine underwent complete resection. Myastenia Gravis (HR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.20-0.98, p = 0.046), DFS after the initial thymectomy >36 months (HR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99, p = 0.006) and complete second recurrence resection (HR: 1.45; 95% CI 2.07-10.01, p = 0.010) resulted as independent favorable prognostic survival factor. Despite patient selection bias, rewarding long-term survivals was predictable after iterative thymoma surgery (5 and 10 years survival of 79.6% and 64.6%) while a poor prognosis was observed after CT/RT (5 and 10 years OS of 56.7% and 21.5%), Masaoka stage and DFS > 36 months were risk factor for iterative recurrences., Conclusions: Myasthenia Gravis and long DFS after thymectomy are favorable survival factors for multiple thymoma recurrences. Iterative surgical treatment is a viable therapeutic option associated to long-term survival if technically and clinically feasible., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Modes of treatment for recurrent thymoma remain controversial. The aim of this study is to analyse the early and long-term results of surgical intervention for this condition., Methods: Between 1972 and 2008, 43 out of 315 patients, who underwent resection with radical intent for thymoma, subsequently relapsed. Of these, 30 cases were deemed suitable for resection and operation, and were surgically treated. The remaining 13 were treated with radio- and/or chemotherapy (RT/CT). Overall outcomes for long-term survival up to 5 years (LTS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analysed using standard statistics., Results: The average age of the relapsed patients was 54.7±12.7 years. There were 21 males and 22 females. Forty out of the 43 had myasthenia gravis (MG). Fifteen cases concerned a single detected relapse lesion. Among the 43 patients, relapses were found in the following sites: pleura (25 cases), mediastinum (12), lung (five), liver and bone (one). The perioperative mortality was 0% and the morbidity was 27%. Twenty-two of the surgically treated patients had complete resection; their LTS was 77% and DFS was 71%. Those patients who underwent surgery had significantly better outcomes compared with patients treated with radio- and/or chemotherapy (LTS only 35%; hazard ratio (HR): 0.22; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.08-0.59; p=0.001). Complete repeated resection yielded much better outcomes than partial resection (LTS 91% vs 31%, p<0.001), whereas incomplete resection was associated, as one might expect, with a poor prognosis (HR: 6.12; 95% CI: 1.18-31.55; p=0.031). No evidence for an association with other clinical, surgical and pathological characteristics was found with regard to LTS or DFS., Conclusions: Surgical resection is recommended for the treatment of recurrent thymoma, provided that criteria for suitability for resection/operation are satisfactory at the time of diagnosis. Best survival outcomes are found to depend on the degree of completeness of the repeat resection., (Copyright © 2011 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The impact of myasthenia gravis on patients with thymoma is still controversial when perioperative and long-term outcomes are analyzed. With the unique opportunity of a 35-year follow-up in a single institution, thymomatous myasthenia gravis cohort, we investigated the influence of early and long-term clinical predictors., Methods: We reviewed a surgical series of 317 (1972 to 2007) patients with thymoma: clinical and pathologic features were analyzed as prognostic factors matched against the short- and long-term survival and recurrence rates., Results: Male to female ratio was 153:164; median age, 49 years. Myasthenia gravis coexisted in 276 patients (87.1%). Thymomas were classified according to the Masaoka (42.0% stage I, 32.2% stage II, 21.5% stage III, and 4.4% stage IV) and the World Health Organization (3.5% type A, 9.5% type AB, 19.2% type B1, 57.7% type B2, 8.2% type B3, and 1.9% thymic carcinoma) staging systems. The resection was complete in 295 patients (93.1%). Operative mortality and morbidity were respectively 1.6% and 7.6%. No differences were recorded in postoperative outcome stratifying for myasthenia gravis or comorbidities. Mean follow-up was 144.7 +/- 104.4 months. The overall 5-, 10-, 20-, and 30-year survival rates were 89.9%, 84.1%, 73%, and 58.6%, respectively. The completeness of resection (p < 0.001), the Masaoka staging (p = 0.010), and the World Health Organization classification (p < 0.001) all significantly influenced the long-term survival (univariate analysis). Only completeness of resection was significantly correlated with a better prognosis (p < 0.001) in multivariate analysis. Masaoka staging (p < 0.001) and World Health Organization classification (p < 0.001) significantly correlated with the disease-free survival in the univariate and multivariate analyses as significant prognostic factors (Masaoka, p < 0.001; World Health Organization, p = 0.011). Myasthenia gravis patients showed a better prognosis in terms of long-term survival (p = 0.046) and disease-free survival (p = 0.012) in the univariate analysis., Conclusions: We confirm the evidence that the clinical staging and the histologic classification influence long-term survival. The presence of myasthenia gravis was not significantly related to operative outcome, but prolongs both long-term survival and disease-free survival., (2010 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The treatment of recurrent thymomas remains still controversial., Patients and Methods: From 1972 to 2006, 265 (114 males and 118 females ) patients with thymoma underwent surgery at Catholic University of Sacred Heart. Twenty of these 265 patients developed a recurrence of the initial thymoma, and they represent the population of the present study., Results: One patient died of sudden death related to respiratory failure. The overall morbidity rate was 33% and the morbidity rate among myasthenic patients was 60%. 10 patients died during the follow-up; 2 of unrelated diseases, 2 of myasthenia gravis, and 6 of tumor growth. The overall actuarial survival rates were 43% and 37% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Recurrences never appeared in patients with I stage of Masaoka and in type A and AB., Conclusions: Considering the particular spread of thymoma and the encouraging results of the aggressive surgical approach, re-resection should be recommended in respectable recurrent thymomas.

OBJECTIVES Robotic thymectomy has been suggested and considered technically feasible for thymic tumours. However, because of small-sample series and the lack of data on long-term results, controversies still exist on surgical and oncological results with this approach. We performed a large national multicentre study sought to evaluate the early and long-term outcomes after robot-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy in thymic epithelial tumours. METHODS All patients with thymic epithelial tumours operated through a robotic thoracoscopic approach between 2002 and 2022 from 15 Italian centres were enrolled. Demographic characteristics, clinical, intraoperative, postoperative, pathological and follow-up data were retrospectively collected and reviewed. RESULTS There were 669 patients (307 men and 362 women), 312 (46.6%) of whom had associated myasthenia gravis. Complete thymectomy was performed in 657 (98%) cases and in 57 (8.5%) patients resection of other structures was necessary, with a R0 resection in all but 9 patients (98.6%). Twenty-three patients (3.4%) needed open conversion, but no perioperative mortality occurred. Fifty-one patients (7.7%) had postoperative complications. The median diameter of tumour resected was 4 cm (interquartile range 3–5.5 cm), and Masaoka stage was stage I in 39.8% of patients, stage II in 56.1%, stage III in 3.5% and stage IV in 0.6%. Thymoma was observed in 90.2% of patients while thymic carcinoma occurred in 2.8% of cases. At the end of the follow-up, only 2 patients died for tumour-related causes. Five- and ten-year recurrence rates were 7.4% and 8.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Through the largest collection of robotic thymectomy for thymic epithelial tumours we demonstrated that robot-enhanced thoracoscopic thymectomy is a technically sound and safe procedure with a low complication rate and optimal oncological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is one of the best treatable autoimmune diseases. However, in most patients, treatment is necessarily long-term and related side effects are a serious burden. Thymectomy has a special place in the disease management as a non-pharmacological disease-modifying therapy. For several decades, its role has only been supported by observational studies. Despite the recently achieved class I evidence, many questions remain unaddressed. Areas covered: This review discusses the pathogenic role of the thymus and evidence and controversies concerning therapeutic thymectomy. It also describes minimally invasive techniques that have largely replaced open surgery and the available evidence in MG patients. Expert opinion: Thymectomy plays a primary role in MG management, though its use is still controversial in some disease subtypes. Patient selection for surgery and adequate pre-operative MG control are critical. Thymectomy must ensure the exeresis of the whole thymus together with peri-thymic fat tissue. Minimally invasive techniques have many advantages over open approaches, provided they are as extensive as trans-sternal thymectomy. The investigation of thymectomy-related biomarkers will contribute to enhance the knowledge of its impact on the specific immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: As the adoption of robotic procedures becomes more widespread, additional risk related to the learning curve can be expected. This article reports the results of a Delphi process to define procedures to optimize robotic training of thoracic surgeons and to promote safe performance of established robotic interventions as, for example, lung cancer and thymoma surgery. METHODS: In June 2016, a working panel was spontaneously created by members of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) and European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) with a specialist interest in robotic thoracic surgery and/or surgical training. An e-consensus-finding exercise using the Delphi methodology was applied requiring 80% agreement to reach consensus on each question. Repeated iterations of anonymous voting continued over 3 rounds. RESULTS: Agreement was reached on many points: a standardized robotic training curriculum for robotic thoracic surgery should be divided into clearly defined sections as a staged learning pathway; the basic robotic curriculum should include a baseline evaluation, an e-learning module, a simulation-based training (including virtual reality simulation, Dry lab and Wet lab) and a robotic theatre (bedside) observation. Advanced robotic training should include e-learning on index procedures (right upper lobe) with video demonstration, access to video library of robotic procedures, simulation training, modular console training to index procedure, transition to full-procedure training with a proctor and final evaluation of the submitted video to certified independent examiners. CONCLUSIONS: Agreement was reached on a large number of questions to optimize and standardize training and education of thoracic surgeons in robotic activity. The production of the content of the learning material is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Thymic epithelial tumors were originally staged using the Masaoka–Koga staging system, even if recently the adoption of the tumor node metastases staging system was recommended. However, it remains controversial as to which staging system is the most effective in prognosis prediction for these patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic effectiveness of these staging systems and to verify a possible improvement. Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Masaoka–Koga and the tumor node metastases (TNM) staging system in thymic epithelial tumors (TET) considering possible improvements. Methods: We reviewed the data of 379 patients who underwent surgical resection for TET from 1 January 1985 to 1 January 2018, collecting and classifying the pathological report according to the Masaoka–Koga and the TMN system. The number of involved organs was also considered as a possible prognostic factor and integrated in the two staging systems to verify its impact. Results: Considering the Masaoka–Koga system, 5- and 10-year overall survival (5–10YOS) was 96.4% and 88.9% in stage I, 95% and 89.5% in stage II and 85.4% and 72.8% in stage III (p = 0.01), with overlapping in stage I and stage II curves. Considering the TNM system, 5–10YOS was 95.5% and 88.8% in T1, 84.8% and 70.7% in T2 and 88% and 76.3% in T3 (p = 0.02), with overlapping T2–T3 curves. Including the number of involved structures, in Masaoka–Koga stage III, patients with singular involved organs had a 100% and 76.6% vs. 87.7% 5–10YOS, which was 76.6% in patients with multiple organ infiltration. Considering the TNM, T3 patients with singular involved structures presented a 5–10YOS of 100% vs. 62.5% and 37.5% in patients with multiple organ involvement (p = 0.07). Conclusion: The two staging systems present limitations due to overlapping curves in early Masaoka–Koga stages and in advanced T stages for TNM. The addition of the number of involved organs seems to be a promising factor for the prognosis stratification in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]