A case of successful preoperative chemotherapy with cisplatin and irinotecan followed by curative-intent surgery for locally advanced thymic carcinoma

The optimal chemotherapy for thymic carcinoma has yet to be determined based on clinical evidence because of the rarity of this pathological entity. We report the case of a patient with locally advanced thymic carcinoma in whom radical excision was achieved with intensive preoperative chemotherapy followed by curative-intent surgery. A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed with Masaoka-Koga stage III thymic cancer showing squamous cell carcinoma histology. Invasion to the ascending aorta and left brachiocephalic vein was suspected from imaging, so preoperative chemotherapy with three cycles of cisplatin and irinotecan was administered. Partial response to chemotherapy was achieved and the residual tumor was completely resected with subsequent surgery. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen demonstrated stage II thymic carcinoma. The patient has shown no evidence of recurrence or surgical complications as of 46 months after completing preoperative chemotherapy.