Abstract 618P
Background
Radiotherapy is considered beneficial in extending the survival of patients with malignant thymoma who undergo surgery. However, the significance of neoadjuvant radiotherapy remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the impact of preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy on cancer-specific survival and overall survival in patients with locally advanced malignant thymoma.
Methods
Data from the SEER database were used to collect clinical characteristics, treatment-related information, and overall survival data for patients newly diagnosed with locally advanced (Masaoka–Koga stage III or IV) malignant thymoma who underwent radical surgery between 2004 and 2019. Comparisons of categorical variables were conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Kaplan-Meier method was employed to compare patient survival.
Results
A total of 731 patients with locally advanced malignant thymoma who underwent radical surgery were identified. Among them, 450 (61.6%) patients received radiotherapy during their treatment course, with a higher proportion of patients under 65 years old receiving radiotherapy (65.2% vs. 53.8%, P = 0.004). Thirty-two (4.2%) patients underwent preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy. Male patients were less likely to receive neoadjuvant radiotherapy (2.1% vs. 6.0%, P = 0.009). Survival analysis revealed that patients who received radiotherapy had significantly improved overall survival (HR=0.659, 95% CI: 0.524-0.829, P < 0.001) and cancer-specific survival (HR=0.637, 95% CI: 0.469-0.865, P = 0.004). However, patients who received preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy exhibited shorter cancer-specific survival (HR=2.170, 95% CI: 1.174-4.008, P = 0.013) and a trend towards shorter overall survival (HR=1.602, 95% CI: 0.935-2.745, P = 0.086).
Conclusions
Patients with locally advanced malignant thymoma who undergo radical surgery may benefit from radiotherapy in terms of survival. However, those receiving preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy tend to have shorter survival, indicating the need for further large-scale studies to validate these findings.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used OpenAI's ChatGPT in order to assist with translation and language refinement. After using this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.
Legal entity responsible for the study
Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.