AB006. Postoperative complications and early recurrence in surgically treated thymoma: a single-centre retrospective study
Original Research

AB006. Postoperative complications and early recurrence in surgically treated thymoma: a single-centre retrospective study

Zaw Tun Aung1, Abdurrahmaan Manga1, Sameera Gamlath1, Syed Mohammad1, Veeresh Patil1, Jonathan Bennett1, Rajini Sudhir1, Sanjay Agrawal1, Muhammad Majid1, Elizabeth Stannard2, Cathy Richards2, Elizabeth Webb2, Apostolos Nakas3

1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester, UK; 2Department of Histopathology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK; 3Department of Thoracic Surgery, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester, UK

Correspondence to: Zaw Tun Aung, MBBS, MRCP. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester, Groby Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE3 9QP, Great Britain, UK. Email: zaw.aung1@nhs.net.

Background: Thymoma is a rare mediastinal tumour with variable postoperative outcomes. The impact of surgical approach, margin status, and adjuvant therapies on recurrence remains debated. Our aim is to explore factors associated with postoperative complications, hospital stay, and early recurrence in surgically treated thymoma patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 41 patients who underwent thymoma resection between 2020 and 2024. Data included surgical approach [video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) vs. open], margin status, tumour size, Masaoka-Koga (MK) stage, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, World Health Organization (WHO) histological subtype, neoadjuvant therapy, postoperative radiotherapy (RT), postoperative complications, and early recurrence. Early recurrence was defined as histologically confirmed tumour relapse within 2 years (730 days) following surgery. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact test, and univariate logistic regression.

Results: Of 41 patients, 35 (85.4%) underwent open surgery and 6 (14.6%) had VATS. There was no significant difference in hospital stay between VATS (median 2 days) and open surgery (median 4 days, P=0.25). Postoperative complications occurred in 10 patients (24.4%), including 6 minor and 4 major events, and were associated with a significantly longer hospital stay (mean increase 9.12 days, P<0.001). Surgical approach was not associated with complications (P=0.63). Early recurrence occurred in 2 patients (4.9%), both following R1 resection (8.0%, 2/25) with none in R0 resection (0/16, P=0.25).

Conclusions: Surgical approach did not impact hospital stay or complication rates. Early recurrence was rare and occurred only in patients with larger tumours, incomplete resection, advanced stage, and adjuvant therapy, reflecting aggressive disease. Multicentre studies are needed to validate these findings and guide optimal adjuvant therapy in thymoma management.

Keywords: Thymoma; surgery; complications; recurrence; radiotherapy (RT)

Acknowledgments

None.

Footnote

Funding: None.

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://med.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/med-25-ab006/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments. The study was approved by the Regional Quality Improvement Team of Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester and individual consent for this retrospective analysis was waived.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/med-25-ab006
Cite this abstract as: Aung ZT, Manga A, Gamlath S, Mohammad S, Patil V, Bennett J, Sudhir R, Agrawal S, Majid M, Stannard E, Richards C, Webb E, Nakas A. AB006. Postoperative complications and early recurrence in surgically treated thymoma: a single-centre retrospective study. Mediastinum 2025;9:AB006.

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