Abstract
AB040. Thymic epithelial tumors and haematological malignancies: a monocentric experience
Angelo Luciano1, Erica Pietroluongo1, Margaret Ottaviano2, Pietro De Placido3, Rocco Morra1, Annarita Peddio1, Mara Memoli1, Francesco Grimaldi1, Giorgia Battipaglia1, Roberto Bianco1, Mario Giuliano1, Alberto Servetto1, Giovannella Palmieri4
1Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy;
2Unit of Melanoma, Cancer Immunotherapy and Development Therapeutics, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy;
3Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA;
4Regional Coordinating Center for Rare Tumors (CRCTR) of Campania Region at University Federico II, Naples, Italy
Correspondence to: Giovannella Palmieri, MD. Regional Coordinating Center for Rare Tumors (CRCTR) of Campania Region at University Federico II, Naples 80131, Italy. Email: giovpalm@unina.it.
Background: The occurrence of haematological malignancies in thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) is rare. The pathogenic mechanism underlying this association is elusive and tumorigenesis is related to oncogenic signals from the thymic tumor microenvironment. T-acute leukemia is frequently reported and the diagnosis of these two clinical entities may be challenging. We report our experience of patients with TETs who developed haematological malignancies.
Methods: We analysed 250 patients affected by TETs who referred to University of Naples Federico II, Italy from 2010 to 2024 and selected five patients who developed haematological malignancies.
Results: The five patients, three males and two females, median age of 59 years, had diagnosis of thymoma (respectively B1, B2-B3, B2 and AB subtypes) and thymic carcinoma. The median age of diagnosis of TET was 51 years. Four patients underwent surgery, three patients received diagnosis of T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), one acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and one chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Interestingly, one patient underwent mediastinal mass excision revealing concurrent stage IVA subtype AB thymoma and T-ALL. Average time between diagnosis of TET and leukemia was 6.6 years, ranging from 0 to 9 years. Four patients received systemic treatment for TETs and one patient received adjuvant radiotherapy. Three patients were treated for their haematological malignancies. To date, only the patient affected by AML is alive and in complete remission. The patient affected by CML achieved complete remission but died for complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease 2019 (SARS COVID-19) vaccination.
Conclusions: Our data is in accordance with literature. Twenty-four cases are reported: 23 thymomas, mostly subtypes AB and B1 (21 associated with T-ALL and 2 with AML), and 1 thymic carcinoma associated with AML. The prognosis is worse in patients with haematological neoplasm. Future studies are needed to clarify the correlation between TETs and the development of acute leukemia.
Keywords: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs); haematological malignancies; outcome
Acknowledgments
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-24-ab040/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 (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Naples Federico II (approval No. 186/2023) 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-24-ab040
Cite this abstract as: Luciano A, Pietroluongo E, Ottaviano M, De Placido P, Morra R, Peddio A, Memoli M, Grimaldi F, Battipaglia G, Bianco R, Giuliano M, Servetto A, Palmieri G. AB040. Thymic epithelial tumors and haematological malignancies: a monocentric experience. Mediastinum 2024;8:AB040.
