A Case of Thymic Cancer Recurred 9 Years after Surgery and Surviving for 7 Cancer-carrying Years with Multidisciplinary Treatment

Abstract

The patient was an 83-year-old man who underwent surgery for an anterior mediastinal tumor in our hospital in March 2003 and was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the thymus. His treatment was terminated when five years had elapsed after the operation without recurrence. A CT scan conducted elsewhere in October 2012 detected a thickened left pleura and he was referred to our hospital. A CT-guided biopsy revealed the diagnosis of pleural dissemination of the thymic cancer and radiation therapy was performed. Close exploration conducted in December 2013 identified metastases to the left axillary lymph node, upper abdominal median lymph node, left upper lobe of the lung, and the cerebellum. We performed radiation therapy for the cerebellar lesion, followed by chemotherapy, leading to a CR. However, in March 2017, he developed left pleural dissemination, left pulmonary lower lobe metastasis, and cerebellar metastasis. We performed radiation therapy for the cerebellar lesion and pleural dissemination and added left partial lower lobectomy of the lung for the lung metastasis. In September 2018, the left axillary lymph node metastasis was extirpated. In July 2019, several pleural disseminations were detected in the left lateral pleura for that he is going on with chemotherapy.

We report a case of thymic cancer in which multidisciplinary therapy results in a long-term survival.