Thymoma and thymic carcinoma in children and adolescents: a report from the European Cooperative Study Group for Pediatric Rare Tumors (EXPeRT).
Eur J Cancer. 2015 Nov;51(16):2444-52. Authors: Stachowicz-Stencel T, Orbach D, Brecht I, Schneider D, Bien E, Synakiewicz A, Rod J, Ferrari A, Cecchetto G, Bisogno G.
The article reports the results of a collaborative European study coordinated by EXPeRT on children with thymic tumors. Only 36 patients were treated between 2000 and 2012 in France, Italy, Germany and Poland confirming the rarity of this tumor in patients less than 18 years.
The possibility of cure for children with thymoma is very high usually with surgery alone in. On the contrary the prognosis of children with thymic carcinoma is unsatisfactory despite different chemoteharpy regimens used, surgery and radiotherapy sometime.
This study confirms the possibility to perform European analysis in very rare pediatric tumours. Expert is promoting a multidisciplinary approach and collaboration with adults’ physician in order to propose homogenous diagnostic and treatment guidelines to improve the treatment results of children with Thymic carcinoma.