Pleural recurrences of thymoma: role and effectiveness of intrathoracic chemohyperthermia

Thymoma is a rare tumor of the anterior mediastinum characterized by a relatively indolent behavior. Surgery is the cornerstone in the treatment of this tumor and completeness of resection is the main prognostic factor (1). However, despite a complete resection, recurrence of thymoma can occur in 10–30% of patients, following a mean disease-free period that ranges between 60 and 80 months (2). The most established risk factors for tumor recurrence are advanced Masaoka stage and WHO histotype (3,4)