Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Thymus: Analysis of Factors Affecting Survival in 254 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine tumors of the thymus (NETT) constitute less than 5% of all anterior mediastinal masses but are aggressive and lead to poor overall survival. This study was designed to evaluate factors that influence the prognosis of patients with NETT and the role of surgical intervention in survival.

METHODS: We analyzed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer database to identify patients with NETT. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify prognostic factors among demographic, tumor, and treatment variables.

RESULTS: In 254 patients identified with NETT, the median overall survival time was 73 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 56%. Patients who underwent surgical therapy had a significantly longer median survival time than did those who did not undergo surgical therapy (109 months vs 46 months, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, surgical resection, Masaoka-Koga stage, and tumor size were significant predictors of survival.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that surgical resection, Masaoka-Koga stage, and tumor size are significant prognostic factors in patients with NETT. Complete surgical resection continues, rightfully, to be the mainstay in the treatment of this rare disease.