Abstract
Background and Aims : The treatment for postoperative pleural dissemination of thymic tumors has not established yet. On the other hand, tumor dormancy therapy (TDT) is widely recognized. The aim of TDT is not to eradicate a malignant tumor but to stop tumor proliferation. The purpose of this study is to clarify the usufullness of intraarterial injection chemotherapy for pleural dissemination of thymic tumors as TDT. Methods : Intraarterial injection chemotherapy was performed for five postoperative pleural dissemination cases with two types of agents including Cisplatin, and another agent, such as Adriamycine, VP-16 or docetaxel as TDT. Injection chemotherapy was repeated two to ten times every four weeks. Results : The effects of injection chemotherapy were partial response (PR) in one patient, stable disease (SD) in two and progressive disease (PD) in two. Three patients are alive with pleural dissemination. The average survival time after the occurrence of pleural dissemination is 5.5 years (longest 10 years). Two patients died of distant metastasis. Side effects of chemotherapy were grade 1 or 2 leukopenia. Conclusion : Injection chemotherapy may be the treatment of choice for postoperative dissemination of thymic tumors.
