Maintaining quality of life after major lung resection for carcinoid tumor.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary carcinoid is a rare diagnosis with surgery remaining the standard treatment of choice. However, resection may impact patients' daily activities due to decreased lung volume reserve and postoperative pain. Our study aims to compare the impact of different types of surgical resection on the post-operative quality of life with the application of a strict peri-operative pulmonary care program. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors in a tertiary cancer center between August, 2017 and March, 2020 were identified and demographic data was collected. Patients were contacted via phone for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of pain and quality of life, utilizing the Arabic version of Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) instrument respectively. Lung reserve was assessed before and after surgery. Statistical analysis used Chi-Square for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients underwent different type of resection. The majority were male (n = 10; 63%) with a mean age of 44 years (19-81). Most common clinical stage was stage I (n = 12, 75%) with typical carcinoid features recorded in more than half of the cases (n = 11, 69%). Almost all patients underwent surgical excision (n = 15, 94%) with negative resection margin and no major post-operative complications. Bilobectomy was the most frequent procedure (n = 6, 40%) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was utilized in 8 patients (50%). Expected changes were recorded in pre- and postoperative pulmonary function test with an average drop of 10 in FEV1 and 14 mL/min/mmHg in DLCO. The majority of patients (n = 15, 94%) were totally independent doing daily activities. Mild intermittent pain was found in 7 patients (44%) who scored an average intensity of 1.6 out of 10. CONCLUSIONS: Excellent long-term outcomes can be achieved following surgical resection of pulmonary carcinoid tumors with little to no effect on patients' lung function and quality of life in regard to performance status and post-operative pain when a good peri-operative pulmonary, physical rehabilitation, and pain management programs are adopted and strictly implemented.

Locally advanced thymoma; does neoadjuvant chemotherapy make a difference?

BACKGROUND: Regardless of its rare occurrence, Thymoma remains the most frequently encountered primary tumor of the anterior mediastinum comprising about 50% of all masses in the region. Surgical resection, via thymectomy, remains the mainstay treatment modality. In locally advanced and borderline resectable tumors, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) may be utilized to increase the chance of R0 resection, raising the question of its efficacy and safety. METHODS: Demographic and clinical data from patients who presented to a tertiary cancer center between January 2015-October 2021 with a diagnosis of thymoma and underwent curative surgical resection was collected. Computed tomography scan was used to delineate clinical staging, tumor size and to detect post-therapeutic variations in tumor burden. The response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) was used to classify the effect of NACT on tumor burden. The pathological response was determined by measuring the percentage of necrotic tissue. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients were diagnosed with thymoma. Most patients were male with a mean age 46 (± 15) years at diagnosis. The most common clinical stage was stage II with 5 patients (22%). A total of 12 patients had NACT as compared to 11 patients who had upfront surgery. The mean change in tumor volume was 165 cm3 (p = 0.079) and the change in and maximum diameter was 1.53 ± 1.49 cm (p < 0.01). The effect of NACT on tumor burden based on RECIST criteria was minimal as 8 patients had stable disease. Based on pathological findings, the average necrotic portion of the tumor was 39.5% (p = 0.152). The overall survival rate is 95.65%, mean survival was 115 months (4-125). Recurrence occurred in 5 patients. The NACT group had a higher risk for recurrence (4; 33.3%) with a mean survival of 43.8 months compared to 59.6 months in those who did not receive induction therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The exact role of induction chemotherapy in locally advanced thymoma patients remains controversial. NACT effect after utilizing radiological and pathological assessment tools was not found to significantly improve oncological outcomes compared to upfront surgery in locally advanced disease, with minimal radiologic and pathologic effect. To further demonstrate the impact of induction chemotherapy, we recommend multicentric collaborative studies.