Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1975 Feb;30(1):19–25. doi: 10.1136/thx.30.1.19

Tumours of the thymic region. Symptomatology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

S Bertelsen, J Malmstrom, J Heerfordt, H Pedersen
PMCID: PMC470239  PMID: 1124527

Abstract

Fifty-three patients operated on between 1952 and 1971 were originally diagnosed as having thymoma. Re-examination of the material shows that only half of these tumours were true thymomas. The rest were classified as malignant lymphomas, primary and secondary carcinomas, and a few haemangiomas. Half of the patients had symptoms at the time of diagnosis. However, in half of the asymptomatic cases the tumours had penetrated the capsule. Decisive in prognosis are the macroscopic findings around the capsule. Of 33 patients with infiltration of the capsule, 30 had died at the time of investigation. Twenty-five patients died within two years of operation, Twenty-five patients had thymomas, of which 14 were well defined. Twelve patients with thymomas suffered from myasthenia gravis. The treatment of choice of thymoma is total excision, if necessary enbloc, and if there is penetration of the capsule, radiotherapy should be given. None of the patients with a well-defined thymoma had died from their tumour while only two patients with infiltrating thymomas are still alive, Of eight patients with Hodgkin's disease located in the thymus, six had penetration of the capsule, and of these only one patient is still alive. Two patients with well-defined tumours are both alive. The treatment of localized Hodgkin's disease is excision and irradiation. The prognosis for patients with other malignant tumours was bad, the mean time of survival being less than six months.

Full text

PDF
19

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andersen V., Pedersen H. Thymoma and acute leukaemia. Acta Med Scand. 1967 Nov;182(5):581–590. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1967.tb10884.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bernatz P. E., Khonsari S., Harrison E. G., Jr, Taylor W. F. Thymoma: factors influencing prognosis. Surg Clin North Am. 1973 Aug;53(4):885–892. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)40093-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blades C. B. Mediastinal Tumors : Report of Cases Treated at Army Thoracic Surgery Centers in the United States. Ann Surg. 1946 May;123(5):749–764. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Boyd D. P., Midell A. I. Mediastinal cysts and tumors. An analysis of 96 cases. Surg Clin North Am. 1968 Jun;48(3):493–505. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)38532-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burke W. A., Burford T. H., Dorfman R. F. Hodgkin's disease of the mediastinum. Ann Thorac Surg. 1967 Apr;3(4):287–296. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4975(10)66429-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DANIEL R. A., Jr, DIVELEY W. L., EDWARDS W. H., CHAMBERLAIN N. Mediastinal tumors. Ann Surg. 1960 May;151:783–795. doi: 10.1097/00000658-196005000-00019. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. ELLIS F. H., Jr, KIRKLIN J. W., WOOLNER L. B. Hemangioma of the mediastinum; review of literature and report of case. J Thorac Surg. 1955 Aug;30(2):181–186. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fontenelle L. J., Armstrong R. G., Stanford W., Lindberg E. F., Dooley B. N. The asymptomatic mediastinal mass. Arch Surg. 1971 Feb;102(2):98–102. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1971.01350020008003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. GROB D. Course and management of myasthenia gravis. J Am Med Assoc. 1953 Oct 10;153(6):529–532. doi: 10.1001/jama.1953.02940230001001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HENSON R. A., STERN G. M., THOMPSON V. C. THYMECTOMY FOR MYASTHENIA GRAVIS. Brain. 1965 Mar;88:11–28. doi: 10.1093/brain/88.1.11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. IVERSON L. Thymoma; a review and reclassification. Am J Pathol. 1956 Jul-Aug;32(4):695–719. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. KALTER Y. E., LIEBERMANN Y., PAUZNER Y. M. PITFALLS IN DIAGNOSIS OF MEDIASTINAL TUMORS. EVALUATION OF 100 CASES. Dis Chest. 1964 Aug;46:174–180. doi: 10.1378/chest.46.2.174. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. KEY J. A. Mediastinal tumours. Surg Clin North Am. 1954 Aug;:959–978. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)34286-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Katz A., Lattes R. Granulomatous thymoma or Hodgkin's disease of thymus? A clinical and histologic study and a re-evaluation. Cancer. 1969 Jan;23(1):1–15. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196901)23:1<1::aid-cncr2820230101>3.0.co;2-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MOLANDER D. W., PACK G. T. MANAGEMENT AND SURVIVAL OF 883 PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1965 Jan;93:154–159. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ochsner A., Burch A. Tumors of the thymus. Surg Clin North Am. 1966 Dec;46(6):1437–1446. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)38084-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Oldham H. N., Jr, Sabiston D. C., Jr Primary tumors and cysts of the mediastinum. Monogr Surg Sci. 1967 Dec;4(4):243–279. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. SIMPSON J. A. An evaluation of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis. Brain. 1958 Mar;81(1):112–144. doi: 10.1093/brain/81.1.112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sawyers J. L., Foster J. H. Surgical treatment of thymomas. Arch Surg. 1968 May;96(5):814–817. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1968.01330230122017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sellors T. H., Thackray A. C., Thomson A. D. Tumours of the thymus. A review of 88 operation cases. Thorax. 1967 May;22(3):193–220. doi: 10.1136/thx.22.3.193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Shields T. W. The thymus gland. Surg Clin North Am. 1969 Feb;49(1):61–70. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)38736-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. TOCH H., HAGSTROM J. W., STEINBERG I. HEMANGIOMA OF THE MEDIASTINUM. REPORT OF A CASE WITH COMPRESSION OF THE SPINAL CORD. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1965 Jul;94:580–583. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Teilmann I., Kassis H., Pietra G. Primary germ cell tumor of the anterior mediastinum with features of endodermal sinus tumor. (Mesoblastoma vitellinum). Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1967;70(2):267–278. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1967.tb01290.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. VIDEBAEK A., THOMSEN G. Tumours of the thymic region. Follow-up on 36 operated cases. Acta Radiol Suppl. 1959;188:261–275. doi: 10.1177/0284185159052s18824. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Whittaker L. D., Jr, Lynn H. B. Mediastinal tumors and cysts in the pediatric patient. Surg Clin North Am. 1973 Aug;53(4):893–904. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)40094-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wilkins E. W., Jr, Edmunds L. H., Jr, Castleman B. Cases of thymoma at the Massachusetts General Hospital. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1966 Sep;52(3):322–330. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Zanca P., Chuang T. H., De Avila R., Galindo D. L. True congenital mediastinal thymic cyst. Pediatrics. 1965 Oct;36(4):615–619. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES