[Present status of thymoma therapy].

Eight patients with histologically verified thymoma were treated between 1962 and 1985 at the Radiologic Hospital of the University of Münster. All patients were submitted to thoracotomy and subsequent irradiation. A primary irradiation was performed in four cases. The average survival time of the only irradiated patients was 8.5 months. A considerably better average survival time, i.e. 46 months, was reached by surgical procedure with postoperative irradiation. The therapy of choice in the treatment of malignant thymomas is radical operation and subsequent radiotherapy; in case of benign thymomas a postirradiation is not necessary. 25% of our patients showed early recurrences, parathymic syndromes, and hematogenous metastases. Lymphogenic metastases were not observed. Chemotherapy exerted no demonstrable influence on the tumors.