Abstract
From August, 1968 to December, 1989, 58 patients with thymoma, and 3 with thymic carcinoma were treated by radiotherapy using cobalt-60 gamma ray. Eleven cases were treated by radiotherapy alone, 1 by preoperative radiotherapy, 45 by postoperative radiotherapy, and 4 in combination with intraoperative radiotherapy. In thymoma, postoperative and intraoperative radiotherapy were effective, while concerning postoperative radiotherapy, operability was the major factor influencing survival and local control, and Stage I and II tumors resected totally or subtotally as well as Stage III tumors resected totally were good indications for such therapy. Cases of thymoma complicated by myasthenia gravis had a longer survival time and better local control rate than those without it. In the treatment of thymic carcinoma, it was suggested that the tumors can be controlled using complete resection and sufficient postoperative radiotherapy.
