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The Oncologist, Vol. 11, No. 8, 887-894, September 2006; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.11-8-887
© 2006 AlphaMed Press

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The Community Oncologist: Duke Oncology Fellows Series

Thymoma: Benign Appearance, Malignant Potential

Richard F. Riedela,c, William R. Burfeind, Jrb,c

a Divisions of Medical Oncology and Hematology and b Division of Thoracic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA; c The Ruth & Herman Albert Thoracic Oncology Program, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Key Words. Thymoma • Surgery • Adjuvant radiation • Chemotherapy • Paraneoplastic syndromes

Correspondence: William R. Burfeind Jr, M.D., DUMC 3305, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. Telephone: 919-684-8111; Fax: 919-684-8508; e-mail: william.burfeind{at}duke.edu

Thymoma is a rare tumor with a largely indolent growth pattern. It does, however, have malignant potential as a result of its ability to invade locally and metastasize regionally. Often associated with a number of immune- and nonimmune-mediated paraneoplastic syndromes, patient outcomes are directly related to stage of disease and the ability to achieve a complete surgical resection. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment, with adjuvant radiation recommended for invasive thymoma. Sensitive to both chemotherapy and radiation, durable responses are achievable in incompletely resected and inoperable patients. We present two cases of thymoma followed by a general discussion with an emphasis on treatment for both early and advanced-stage disease.






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