Abstract
<h3>Background</h3> Thymomas are the most common tumours of the mediastinum. These tumours often compress vital mediastinal organs and severely impact the quality of life of patients. To avoid the side effects of chemoradiotherapy, some patients with unresectable malignant thymomas have opted to undergo cryotherapy in our hospital. <h3>Methods</h3> We reviewed the cryosurgery, nursing, and follow-up records of our hospital for the past 8years, and evaluated the safety and efficacy of cryotherapy in 19 patients with unresectable malignant thymomas. <h3>Findings</h3> No severe complications involving the vital organs surrounding the tumour occurred during or after cryosurgery. The most common side effect was pleural effusion, which occurred in 11 patients and healed after drainage within 1week. Cough, mediastinal and pericardial effusions, pneumothorax, mild fever, and chest tightness also occurred and resolved 1week after symptomatic treatment. Since our patients had high KPS scores and mild myasthenia gravis symptoms before the treatment, myasthenia gravis did not occur after the treatment. The progression-free survival of the patients was 14–29months (median, 18months), and did not differ between patients with large tumours and those with small tumours (<i>p</i>=0.6753). <h3>Interpretation</h3> Cryotherapy is a safe and efficient method for the treatment of unresectable malignant thymoma.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
