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NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™
Thymic
Malignancies
V.2.2009
www.nccn.org
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
NCCN Thymic Malignancies Panel Members
David S. Ettinger, MD/Chair †
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer
Center at Johns Hopkins
Wallace Akerley, MD
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University
of Utah
Gerold Bepler, MD, PhD
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research
Institute
Matthew G. Blum, MD
Andrew Chang, MD
University of Michigan Comprehensive
Cancer Center
Richard T. Cheney, MD
Lucian R. Chirieac, MD
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer
Center
†
†
¶
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer
Center of Northwestern University
¶
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Thomas A. D’Amico, MD ¶
Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
Todd L. Demmy, MD ¶
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Steven J. Feigenberg, MD §
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Ramaswamy Govindan, MD †
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish
Hospital and Washington University School
of Medicine
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Raymond U. Osarogiagbon, MD
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/University of
Tennessee Cancer Institute
Gregory A. Otterson, MD †
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital & Richard J.
Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State
University
Jyoti D. Patel, MD ‡
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of
Northwestern University
Katherine M Pisters, MD ¶ †
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center
Karen Reckamp, MD, MS †
City of Hope
†
¶
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
¶
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle
Cancer Care Alliance
Stephen C. Yang, MD ¶
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
at Johns Hopkins
Francisco Robert, MD
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Comprehensive Cancer Center
David J. Sugarbaker, MD
Douglas E. Wood, MD
Frederic W. Grannis, Jr., MD ¶
City of Hope
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive
Cancer Center
†
†
†
§
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Quynh-Thu Le, MD §
Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center
Inga T. Lennes, MD †
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Renato Martins, MD †
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Thierry Jahan, MD †
Mohammad Jahanzeb, MD
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/University
of Tennessee Cancer Institute
David H. Johnson, MD
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Anne Kessinger, MD
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska
Medical Center
Ritsuko Komaki, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center
Mark G. Kris, MD †
*
† Medical Oncology
¶ Surgery/Surgical oncology
§ Radiation oncology/
Pathology
‡ Hematology/Hematology oncology
Radiotherapy
*Writing Committee Member
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NCCN Guidelines Panel Disclosures
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Table of Contents
NCCN Thymic Malignancies Panel Members
Summary of Guidelines Updates
Initial Evaluation (THYM-1)
Initial Management (THYM-2)
Postoperative Disease (THYM-3)
Unresectable Disease (THYM-4)
Principles of Surgical Resection (THYM-A)
Principles of Radiation Therapy (THYM-B)
Principles of Chemotherapy (THYM-C)
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Guidelines Index
Print the Thymic Malignancies Guideline
These guidelines are a statement of evidence and consensus of the authors regarding their views of currently accepted approaches to treatment.
Any clinician seeking to apply or consult these guidelines is expected to use independent medical judgment in the context of individual clinical
circumstances to determine any patient's care or treatment. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network makes no representations nor warranties
of any kind whatsoever regarding their content, use, or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way. These
guidelines are copyrighted by National Comprehensive Cancer Network. All rights reserved. These guidelines and the illustrations herein may not
be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN. ©2008.
Clinical Trials:
Categories of Evidence and
Consensus:
NCCN
All recommendations
are Category 2A unless otherwise
specified. See
The
believes that the best management
for any cancer patient is in a clinical
trial. Participation in clinical trials is
especially encouraged.
NCCN
NCCN Categories of
Evidence and Consensus
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Staging
Discussion
References
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Practice Guidelines
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Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Summary of the Guidelines updates
UPDATES
Summary of the changes in the 1.2009 version of the Thymic Malignancies Guidelines from the 2.2008 version include:
Pulmonary function tests were added to the workup section.
“Consider chemotherapy and/or RT” was replaced with “RT ± chemotherapy” for patients with an R2 resection.
“Resection of isolated oligometastases” was added as a treatment option for localized tumors.
The first bullet was clarified to include medical management of myasthenia gravis for patients presenting with signs and symptoms.
The last bullet regarding VATS and VATS-assisted techniques was removed.
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THYM-1
THYM-4
THYM-A
THYM-3
The 2.2009 version of the Thymic Malignancies Guidelines represents the addition of the Discussion section correspondent to
the changes in the algorithm.
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-1
Mediastinal Mass
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CT chest with contrast
Serum beta-HCG, AFP, if appropriate
CBC, platelets
FDG-PET and radiolabeled octreotide
scan optional
TSH, T3, T4 levels
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs)
INITIAL EVALUATION
Thymic
malignancy likely
Thymic malignancy
unlikely
See Initial Management
(THYM-2)
See disease specific guidelines
(NCCN Table of Contents)
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Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-2
INITIAL MANAGEMENT
Thymic malignancy likely:
All patients should be
managed by a
multidisciplinary team with
experience in the
management of thymoma
Surgically resectable
Locally advanced,
not resectable
Surgical resection (total
thymectomy and complete
excision of tumor)
a
Tissue diagnosis with core
needle biopsy or open biopsy
(Biopsy should not violate
the pleural space)
See Postoperative
Management (THYM-3)
See Treatment
(THYM-4)
a .See Principles of Surgical Resection for Thymic Malignancies (THYM-A)
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-3
POSTOPERATIVE MANAGEMENTRESECTABLE DISEASE
Pathology
evaluation
R0 resection
R1 resection
R2 resection
Thymoma, no
capsular invasion
Thymoma or thymic
carcinoma, capsular
invasion present
Thymoma
Thymic
carcinoma
Thymoma or thymic
carcinoma
Surveillance for recurrence
with annual chest CT
Postoperative RTb
Postoperative RTb
Postoperative
+ Chemotherapy
RTb
c
RT ± chemotherapyb c
Surveillance for recurrence
with annual chest CT
b
c
.
.
See Principles of Radiation Therapy for Thymic Malignancies (THYM-B)
See Principles of Chemotherapy for Thymic Malignancies (THYM-C)
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-4
UNRESECTABLE DISEASE
Thymoma or thymic
carcinoma
Localized tumor
Evidence of distant
metastases
Chemotherapy
or
Resection of isolated
oligometastases
c
Chemotherapyc
c .See Principles of Chemotherapy for Thymic Malignancies (THYM-C)
Surgical resection
and/or RT
or
RT ±
chemotherapyc
TREATMENT
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-A
PRINCIPLES OF SURGICAL RESECTION FOR THYMIC MALIGNANCIES
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Prior to surgery, patients should be evaluated for signs and symptoms of myasthenia
gravis and they should be medically controlled prior to undergoing surgical resection.
Goal of surgery is complete excision of the lesion
Procedure of choice is total thymectomy and complete resection of contiguous and
noncontiguous disease
Complete resection may require the resection of adjacent structures including
pericardium, pleura, lung, and even major vascular structures.
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-B
PRINCIPLES OF RADIATION THERAPY FOR THYMIC MALIGNANCIES
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Prior to surgery, all patients should be evaluated by radiation oncologists, surgeons,
medical oncologists, diagnostic imaging specialists and pulmonologists for
evaluation resectability of the tumor and operability of the patients.
Goal of radiation therapy is to reduce local recurrence.
Radiation therapy needs to be given for patients with unresectable, incompletely
resected and invasive thymoma or thymic carcinoma.
Radiation therapy should be given by 3 dimensional radiotherapy or intensity
modulated radiotherapy to reduce surrounding normal tissue damage, e.g. heart,
lungs, esophagus and spinal cord.
Prior radiation therapy, any cardiac, pulmonary and or neurological toxicities related
to the paraneoplastic syndrome, surgery or the induction chemotherapy need to be
documented as baseline
Radiation oncologists need to communicate with the surgeons to investigate the
operative findings and the pathologists regarding the detailed pathology report
regarding extra-capsular extension and histology.
Version 2.2009, 05/20/09 © 2009 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN.
Practice Guidelines
in Oncology – v.2.2009
Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
THYM-C
PRINCIPLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY FOR THYMIC MALIGNANCIES
1
2
3
4
5
Loehrer, PJ et al. Cisplatin plus doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide in metastatic or recurrent thymoma: final results of an Intergroup trial. J Clin Oncol 1994; 12:1164,
Shin DM, et al. A multidisciplinary approach to therapy for unresectable malignant thymoma. Ann Intern Med 1998; 129: 100–4.
Fornasiero, A et al. Chemotherapy for invasive thymoma. A 13-year experience. Cancer 1991; 68:30
Giaccone, G et al. Cisplatin and etoposide combination chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic thymoma. A phase II study of the European Organization for
Research and Treatment of Cancer Lung Cancer Cooperative Group. Journal of Clinical Oncology 1996; 14:814
Loehrer PJ Sr, et al. Combined etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in the treatment of patients with advanced thymoma and thymic carcinoma: an intergroup trial.
Cancer 2001; 91: 2010–5.
FIRST-LINE COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY REGIMENS
CAP Cisplatin 50 mg/m IV d1
Doxorubicin 50 mg/m IV d1
Cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 IV d1
Administered every 3 weeks
CAP with
Prednisone Doxorubicin, 20 mg/m /d IV continuous
infusion on d 1 to 3
Cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m IV on d 1
Prednisone 100 mg/day d1-5
Administered every 3 weeks
ADOC Cisplatin 50 mg/m IV d1
Doxorubicin 40 mg/m IV d1
Vincristine 0.6 mg/m IV d3
Cyclophosphamide 700 mg/m IV d4
Administered every 4 weeks
PE Cisplatin 60 mg/m IV d1
Etoposide 120 mg/m /d IV d1-3
Administered every 3 weeks
VIP Etoposide 75 mg/m on d 1-4
Ifosfamide 1.2 g/m on d 1-4
Cisplatin 20 mg/m on d 1-4
Administered every 3 weeks
Carboplatin/Paclitaxel Carboplatin AUC 6
Paclitaxel 200 mg/m
administered every 3 weeks
1
2
3
4
5
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
Cisplatin 30 mg/m d1-3
SECOND-LINE CHEMOTHERAPY
Etoposide
Ifosfamide
Pemetrexed
Octreotide +/- Prednisone
5-Fluorouracil and Leucovorin
Gemcitabine
Paclitaxel
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Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic MalignanciesNCCN
®
Staging
ST-1
Modified Masaoka clinical staging of thymoma*
Masaoka stage Diagnostic criteria
Stage I Macroscopically and microscopically completely encapsulated
Stage II (A) Microscopic transcapsular invasion.
(B) Macroscopic invasion into surrounding fatty tissue or grossly adherent to but not through
mediastinal pleura or pericardium
Stage III Macroscopic invasion into neighboring organs (i.e., pericardium, great vessels, lung).
Stage IV (A) Pleural or pericardial dissemination.
(B) Lymphogenous or hematogenous metastasis
*Masaoka A, Monden Y, Nakahara K, and Tanioka T. Follow-up study of thymomas with special reference to their clinical
stages. Cancer 1981;48:2485-2492.
Note: All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise indicated.
Clinical Trials: NCCN believes that the best management of any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in clinical trials is especially encouraged.
Version 2.2009, 10/15/08 © 2008 National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. All rights reserved. These guidelines and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN. MS-1
Practice Guidelines
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Guidelines Index
Thymic Table of Contents
Staging, Discussion, ReferencesThymic Malignancies
Discussion
NCCN Categories of Evidence and Consensus
Category 1: The recommendation is based on high-level evidence
(e.g. randomized controlled trials) and there is uniform NCCN
consensus.
Category 2A: The recommendation is based on lower-level evidence
and there is uniform NCCN consensus.
Category 2B: The recommendation is based on lower-level evidence
and there is nonuniform NCCN consensus (but no major
disagreement).
Category 3: The recommendation is based on any level of evidence
but reflects major disagreement.
All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise noted.
Overview
Masses in the anterior mediastinum can be either neoplasms (such as,
thymomas, lymphomas, thymic carcinomas) or non-neoplastic
conditions (such as, goiter, thymic cysts).1 Many mediastinal masses
are benign, especially those occurring in asymptomatic patients;
however, symptomatic patients often have malignant mediastinal
lesions. Thymomas are the most common tumor in the anterior
mediastinum. The NCCN guideline for Thymic Malignancies (see
THYM-1) outlines the evaluation, treatment, and management of
thymomas and thymic carcinomas (see “Thymic Masses”).
Thymic Masses
Masses in the anterior mediastinum can be either neoplasms (such as,
thymomas, lymphomas, thymic carcinomas, thymic carcinoids,
thymolipomas, germ cell tumors, parathyroid adenomas) or non-
neoplastic conditions (such as, intrathoracic goiter, thymic cysts,
lymphangiomas, aortic aneurysms).1,2 Lymphomas typically manifest as
generalized disease but can also be primary anterior mediastinal
lesions (such as, nodular sclerosing Hodgkin’s disease, and non-
Hodgkin’s lymphomas [large B-cell lymphoma and lymphoblastic
lymphoma]); patients typically have lymphadenopathy (see the NCCN
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas Guidelines and the NCCN Hodgkin
Disease/Lymphoma Guidelines).2,3 Thymic carcinoids are rare tumors
that are discussed in the NCCN Neuroendocrine Tumors Guideline.
Teratomas are discussed in the NCCN Testicular Cancer Guideline.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and beta—human chorionic gonadotropin
(beta-HCG) levels should be obtained to rule out germ cell tumors (see
THYM-1). Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3),
and thyroxine (T4) levels should also be measured to rule out
mediastinal goiter. All patients with a mediastinal mass