nab-Paclitaxel in Combination with Carboplatin for a Previously Treated Thymic Carcinoma

Combination carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for advanced thymic carcinoma

Thymic carcinoma is a very rare neoplasm for which no optimal chemotherapeutic regimen has been established to date. Hence, we performed this study to investigate the efficacy and safety of carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel as a first-line regimen for patients with advanced thymic carcinoma. We conducted this multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced thymic carcinoma who had received carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel as a first-line chemotherapy between August 2013 and December 2021. Twelve patients were included in this study and were subjected to efficacy and safety analysis. Their median age was 62 years (range, 47-74 years), and all had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1. After a median follow-up time of 19.7 months, the overall response rate was 50%; the median progression-free and overall survival times were 8.8 months and 23.3 months, respectively. Chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy was observed in 2 patients (16%; each with grade 1). Other toxicities were manageable, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel as a first-line chemotherapy regimen showed good efficacy and safety in patients with advanced thymic carcinoma.

Carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin‑bound paclitaxel for the treatment of thymic carcinoma

Thymic carcinoma is a relatively rare type of malignant tumor. The present retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel for the treatment of advanced thymic carcinoma. The study included data from 12 patients with advanced thymic carcinoma treated in the Nippon Medical School Hospital (Tokyo, Japan). Response to treatment, patient survival and treatment safety were assessed. The objective response rate was 66.7% (8/12 patients). Disease control was achieved in 11 patients (91.7%). At the median follow-up time of 27.6 months (range, 6.2-75.1 months), the median progression-free survival and median first-line overall survival times were 16.7 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 13.2-37.7] and 14.3 months (95% CI, 4.7-54.6), respectively. There was no occurrence of febrile neutropenia or treatment-related death. The results of the present study showed that carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel was effective and safe. Therefore, it is a promising chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of advanced thymic carcinoma.

Salvage Chemotherapy in Patients with Previously Treated Thymic Carcinoma

Thymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm, and it is difficult to achieve complete remission with systemic chemotherapy. In advanced or recurrent thymic carcinoma, platinum-based chemotherapy is chosen as the first-line setting; however, it remains unclear which regimen is better to improve its outcome. It remains unknown whether salvage chemotherapy should be administered to patients with platinum-based chemotherapy-refractory thymic carcinoma. Currently, several clinical studies have investigated the efficacy of second-line settings for advanced thymic carcinoma. As cytotoxic agents, S-1, amrubicin, pemetrexed, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and gemcitabine have been reported as prospective phase II studies or retrospective studies. The overall response rates (ORRs) of S-1, amrubicin, and pemetrexed were 25-50%, 11-44.4%, and 9-10%, respectively. Molecular targeting drugs, such as sunitinib, everolimus, and lenvatinib, also provide clinical effectiveness with tolerability after the failure of platinum-based regimens. Based on the results of the prospective phase II study, the ORR, median progression-free survival, and median overall survival were 16.6% and 5.6 months, respectively, in everolimus, 26% and 7.2 months, respectively, in sunitinib, and 38% and 9.3 months, respectively, in lenvatinib. Although it is difficult to compare each study, lenvatinib appears to be better in increasing efficacy as a second-line setting. However, each study had a small sample size, which may have biased the results of their studies. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the therapeutic significance of salvage chemotherapy in advanced thymic carcinoma in a large-scale study.

Elevated serum CYFRA 21-1 level as a diagnostic marker for thymic carcinoma

Background

No useful tumor markers have been identified for the diagnosis of thymic carcinomas. Serum cytokeratin 19 fragment, measured using the CYFRA 21‐1 immunoassay, is used as a tumor marker for squamous cell carcinomas in various malignant tumors. Here, we evaluated the value of CYFRA 21‐1 in diagnosing thymic carcinoma.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 94 patients with pathological diagnoses of thymic carcinoma or thymoma (32 and 62 patients, respectively) who were referred to our departments between January 2000 and March 2019. Primary outcomes included tumor marker levels and their diagnostic accuracy.

Results

Patients with thymic carcinoma were significantly more likely to be male (thymic carcinoma, 68.8%; thymoma, 40.3%; p = 0.02), have an advanced TNM stage (p < 0.01), and a significantly higher CYFRA 21‐1 level than those with thymoma (thymic carcinoma: median = 4.2 ng/ml; interquartile range [IQR] = 2.1–6.1 ng/ml vs. thymoma: median = 1.2 ng/ml; IQR = 0.9–1.7 ng/ml; p < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that the area under the curve for CYFRA 21‐1 to distinguish thymic carcinoma from thymoma was 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74–0.93; cutoff = 2.7 ng/ml; sensitivity = 68.8%; specificity = 95.2%). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that CYFRA 21‐1 (odds ratio = 25.6; 95% CI: 4.6–141.6; p < 0.01) was an independent predictor for thymic carcinoma after adjusting for TNM stage.

Conclusions

Serum CYFRA 21‐1 level may help in diagnosing thymic carcinoma.

Successful Treatment of Advanced Thymic Carcinoma with Carboplatin plus nab-Paclitaxel and Maintenance Monotherapy with nab-Paclitaxel: Two Case Reports

A standard chemotherapy regimen for advanced thymic carcinoma has not yet been established. We treated 2 cases of thymic carcinoma with carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel, and nab−paclitaxel maintenance therapy. The first case was a 68-year-old female, admitted for dyspnea and left shoulder pain. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a huge mass in the anterior mediastinum, pleural and pericardial effusions, and multiple lung metastases. Specimens obtained from the anterior mediastinal mass by CT-guided needle biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma of the thymus, which was in stage IVB. The patient was administered carboplatin plus nab−paclitaxel as first-line treatment. After 3 cycles of chemotherapy, a partial response was observed with marked shrinkage of the tumor. Following 6 cycles of chemotherapy, nab−paclitaxel maintenance therapy was initiated. Disease progression was seen 9.1 months after initiation of treatment. The patient experienced no serious adverse events. The second case was a 70-year-old male who had productive cough, dyspnea, and right-sided chest pain. Chest CT revealed a huge mass in the anterior mediastinum, pericardial effusion, and multiple lymphadenopathies. Specimens obtained from station 11s by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration revealed undifferentiated thymic carcinoma, which was in stage IVB. Six cycles of carboplatin plus nab−paclitaxel were administered, followed by 5 cycles of nab−paclitaxel for maintenance. A partial response was seen, which was sustained for more than 13 months. The patient experienced no serious adverse events. These cases show that chemotherapy with carboplatin plus nab−paclitaxel and nab−paclitaxel as maintenance therapy can be a useful regimen for advanced thymic carcinoma.

First-Line Treatment with Carboplatin plus nab-Paclitaxel and Maintenance Monotherapy with nab-Paclitaxel for a Thymic Carcinoma: A Case Report

Thymic carcinomas are rare malignant tumors, located in the anterior mediastinum. For the treatment of these carcinomas, several chemotherapy regimens have been suggested, including carboplatin plus paclitaxel. However, because of the rarity of these tumors, the standard chemotherapy regimen has not yet been established. Here, we report a case of thymic carcinoma that responded to first-line carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) therapy with continuation maintenance nab-paclitaxel monotherapy. A 78-year-old male presented to a hospital with the chief complaint of dyspnea. Cardiomegaly was detected on chest X-ray scans, and marked pericardial effusion was observed by echocardiography. Chest computed tomography scans revealed the presence of a mediastinal mass, pericardial thickening, and pericardial effusion. The serum levels of the tumor marker CYFRA 21-1 (cytokeratin-19 fragment) were elevated. Eventually, he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the thymus, which was staged as cT4N3M0 or stage IV (according to the tumor-node-metastasis classification). Chemotherapy with carboplatin on day 1 and nab-paclitaxel on days 1, 8, and 15, every 4 weeks was initiated. After the administration of 4 cycles of this regimen, the tumor diameter appeared reduced, and the serum CYFRA 21-1 levels were normalized. After a 1-month interval, the serum CYFRA 21-1 levels increased again; therefore, maintenance nab-paclitaxel monotherapy was initiated. At the end of the treatment, the patient experienced a progression-free survival of 10.3 months. Carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel may be an appropriate alternative first-line treatment for thymic carcinomas. Additionally, maintenance nab-paclitaxel monotherapy may prolong the progression-free survivals of patients with thymic carcinomas.

Therapeutic Potential of Docetaxel plus Cisplatin Chemotherapy for Myasthenia Gravis Patients with Metastatic Thymoma

The prognosis of myasthenia gravis (MG) in association with invasive or metastatic thymoma is usually worse, and therapeutic options are quite limited. Here, we retrospectively reported the therapeutic effect of docetaxel plus cisplatin (docetaxel/cisplatin) chemotherapy in 7 MG patients with metastatic thymoma. Previously, all patients underwent thymectomy at the first onset of thymoma. After the metastasis of thymoma, none of the patients received thymectomy due to unresectable conditions after surgeon's evaluation for great risk of myasthenic crisis (n = 5) or patients' refusal (n = 2). All patients received docetaxel (75 mg/m²) and cisplatin (70 mg/m²) on day 1 (d1) every 21 days, with the cycle ranging from 1 to 4. After docetaxel/cisplatin chemotherapy, one patient achieved partial response, and 6 with stable disease of the tumors. The clinical symptoms of MG were alleviated in all patients, 2 with complete remission and the other 5 with marked improvement. Myelosuppression was the major adverse event, occurring in 2 patients (grade II and IV). MG relapse occurred in one patient during the follow-up. Our study presented a series of MG patients with metastatic thymoma who underwent docetaxel/cisplatin chemotherapy. Besides the improved/stabilized thymoma, markedly improvement of MG with the tolerable adverse events was achieved. Docetaxel/cisplatin chemotherapy appears to be an effective treatment for selected patients with MG in association with unresectable metastatic thymoma. Further follow-up of these patients and additional subjects will be needed to determine whether the therapeutic benefits are durable.

Response to chemotherapy with carboplatin plus albumin-bound paclitaxel in a patient with lymphoepithelioma-like thymic carcinoma: A case report

Thymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm with a poor outcome due to its aggressive characteristics. For patients who are not operable, radiation therapy and/or palliative chemotherapy are indicated. However, no optimal chemotherapy regimen has been established. The present study reports the case of a 22-year-old man with advanced lymphoepithelioma-like thymic carcinoma refractory to conventional chemotherapy with carboplatin plus solvent-based paclitaxel (sb-PAC) treatment. The patient was subsequently treated with carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PAC). The treatment resulted in a partial response following three cycles of chemotherapy. Since only grade 3 neutropenia, but no other severe adverse effects, was observed, no dose reduction was required. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to present the response to chemotherapy with carboplatin plus nab-PAC in a patient with lymphoepithelioma-like thymic carcinoma. Considering that no standard treatment has been established in thymic carcinoma, nab-PAC may merit further investigation in this rare, but aggressive disease.