Postoperative clinical outcomes of patients with thymic epithelial tumors after over-3-year follow-up at a single-center

BACKGROUND: To evaluate postoperative clinical outcomes and analyze influencing factors for patients with thymic epithelial tumors over 3 years after operation. METHODS: Patients with thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) who underwent surgical treatment in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Beijing Hospital from January 2011 to May 2019 were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Basic patient information, clinical, pathological, and perioperative data were collected. Patients were followed up by telephone interviews and outpatient records. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0. RESULTS: A total of 242 patients (129 men, 113 women) with TETs were included in this study, of which 150 patients (62.0%) were combined with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 92 patients (38.0%) were not. 216 patients were successfully followed up and their complete information was available. The median follow-up period was 70.5 months (range, 2–137 months). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of the whole group was 93.9%, and the 5-year OS rate was 91.1%. The 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rate of the whole group was 92.2%, and the 5-year relapse-free survival rate was 89.8%. Multivariable COX regression analysis indicated that recurrence of thymoma was an independent risk factor for OS. Younger age, Masaoka-Koga stage III + IV, and TNM stage III + IV were independent risk factors for RFS. Multivariable COX regression analysis indicated that Masaoka-Koga staging III + IV, WHO type B + C were independent risk factors for postoperative improvement of MG. For patients with MG, the postoperative complete stable remission (CSR) rate was 30.5%. And the result of multivariable COX regression analysis showed that thymoma patients with MG with Osserman staging IIA + IIB + III + IV were not prone to achieving CSR. Compared with patients without MG, MG was more likely to develop in patients with WHO classification type B, and patients with myasthenia gravis were younger, with longer operative duration, and more likely to develop perioperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-year overall survival rate of patients with TETs was 91.1% in this study. Younger age and advanced stage were independent risk factors for RFS of patients with TETs, and recurrence of thymoma were independent risk factors for OS. In patients with MG, WHO classification type B and advanced stage were independent predictors of poor outcomes of MG treatment after thymectomy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13019-023-02169-6.