Five-Year Survival 83 percent (70 percent for people with myasthenia gravis, 90 percent for those without)
Stages II, III and IV
The tumor has grown around the capsule into the adjacent fat or membrane (pleura) (Stage II), directly into surrounding organs (Stage III) or elsewhere in the chest or body (Stage IV).
Standard Treatment Invasive malignant thymoma is treated with surgical removal of the tumor if possible.
Radiation therapy is given postoperatively whether or not the tumor has been apparently completely removed. Fairly substantial doses, usually 3,500 to 4,500 cGy, are given and special techniques are necessary because of the large radiation fields required.
Drug therapy for locally invasive or advanced thymomas includes the use of steroid hormones such as prednisone . These have caused regression of some thymomas that could not be removed and did not respond to radiotherapy .
