A NOVEL 2ND LINE CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT OF RECURRENT THYMOMA

Thymoma is an uncommon malignancy which is initially treated with surg ery. Combined modality treatment with radiation and chemotherapy is ut ilized in cases of unresectable or metastatic disease. In patients wit h relapse, a number of different chemotherapeutic regimens have been u sed with varying success. The case of a male with recurrent thymoma tr eated with carboplatin and paclitaxel is presented and the literature reviewed. The patient responded to this novel regimen with improvement in clinical symptoms and reduction in tumor mass. This novel regimen has shown activity as second line therapy and merits further investiga tion as a first line treatment for patients with invasive and or metas tatic thymoma.