Thymic carcinoid tumor--report of 3 operative cases

Three cases of thymic carcinoid were surgically treated in our hospital. All 3 cases belonged to stage IVb (Masaoka's classification) because of anterior lymph nodes metastasis. A 44-year-old male patient died of multiple metastasis of bone and liver in 94 months after the operation. A 45-year-old female patient who had undergone operation 4 years ago, was re-operated on for recurrent carcinoid tumor but complete resection of the tumor could not be performed because of the tumorous invasion to superior vena cava, pericardium and costal bone. After the operation she has been treated by radiotherapy and any re-growth of the tumor has never been detected for 1 year. Another 50-year-old male patient who had been operated and treated by chemo-radiotherapy for thymic carcinoid before 50 months was diagnosed as recurrent tumor at left interpectoral lymph node. Radiotherapy is now preparing for this patient. 160 cases of thymic carcinoid reports in Japan were reviewed. 37 cases were stage IVb and 36 cases had supraclavicular or mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis. Those cases which had been underwent complete resection followed by radiotherapy seemed to have better prognosis. We conclude that patients of thymic carcinoid should be treated with complete resection including supraclavicular and mediastinal lymph nodes dissection, followed by radiotherapy.