You are using an outdated browser. We suggest you update your browser for a better experience. Click here for update.
Close this notification.
Skip to main content Skip to search

COVID-19: Get the latest updates or take a self-assessment.

Surgical, Radiation, and Systemic Treatments of Patients with Thymic Epithelial Tumours

Version: 3 ID: 7-11 Mar 2022
Type of Content: Guidelines & Advice, Clinical
Document Status: Current
Authors:
C. Falkson, E.T. Vella, P.M. Ellis, D.E. Maziak, Y.C. Ung, E. Yu, The Lung Cancer Disease Site Group

Guideline Objective

The objective of this guideline is to determine the most effective therapy for patients with thymic epithelial tumours.

Patient Population

The target population are adult patients with thymic epithelial tumours, including thymoma, thymic carcinoma, and thymic neuroendocrine tumours (NETs).

Intended Guideline Users

The intended users of this guideline are all healthcare professionals managing patients with thymic epithelial tumours.

Research Question(s)

What are the benefits and harms of the treatment options for patients with thymic epithelial tumours?

The interventions under consideration were systemic therapy (chemotherapy, imatinib, cixutumumab, sunitinib, saracatinib, everolimus, octreotide, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab), radiotherapy, surgery, or any combination of these treatments. The comparator was another treatment (systemic therapy, radiotherapy, surgery, or any combination) or no treatment.

The Working Group considered overall survival, toxicity rates (grade 3 or above toxicities), and progression- or recurrence-free survival to be critical outcomes and response rates, and quality of life to be important outcomes for systemic therapy.

The Working Group considered overall survival, toxicity rates (pneumonia, esophagitis, dermatitis), progression- or recurrence-free survival to be critical outcomes and response rates, and quality of life to be important outcomes for radiotherapy.

The Working Group also considered overall survival, and positive/negative margin rate to be critical outcomes and progression- or recurrence-free survival, short-term (30-day) mortality, response rates, local recurrence, nodal (regional) disease, metastatic disease, quality of life, length of hospital stay, chest-in-tube days, conversion to open sternotomy, intraoperative complications and postoperative complications, toxicity rates (pain), postoperative bleeding, and reoperation to be important outcomes for surgery.

pdf download Summary (PDF) (201.55 KB)