Hyperthermic Intrathoracic Chemotherapy. A new weapon has been deployed in Portugal
Abstract
Thymoma is a relatively rare tumour, being, nonetheless, the most frequent neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum. Radical surgery is the gold-standard in every stage, with a considerable recurrence rate in locally advanced tumours. Complete resection in recurrences occurs only in a few cases. A new therapeutic strategy has emerged: the Hyperthermic Intrathoracic Chemotherapy (HITHOC), a high concentrated dose of chemotherapy applied locally, that has been used in addition to radical surgery to improve local control of pleural metastasis and other pleural tumours. We report a case of a 42-year-old woman diagnosed with Masaoka stage III thymoma, who underwent radical surgery, and later had a recurrence presenting with pleural metastasis. The patient underwent surgical resection followed by HITHOC, with success. HITHOC is proven to be safe and effective, but has not yet been widely used. To our knowledge, this was the first time that HITHOC has been implemented in Portugal.
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References
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