Long-Term Complete Remission of Recurrent Unresectable Thymoma Type B2 under Somatostatin Analogue Treatment. Case Report

¹Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

²Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

Corresponding Author: Magdalena Wieczorek-Rutkowska, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

Received Date: Apr 09, 2019
Published Date: Jun 11, 2019

Copyright © Wieczorek-Rutkowska M.

Citation: Wieczorek-Rutkowska M. (2019). Long-term Complete Remission of Recurrent Unresectable Thymoma Type B2 under Somatostatin Analogue Treatment. Case Report. Mathews J Cas Rep 4(1): 45.

ABSTRACT:

Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), including thymoma and thymic carcinoma, are rare and clinically heterogenous group of neoplasms. Surgery remains the cornerstone of therapy for early-stage TETs. In advanced or recurrent, unresectable TETs chemotherapy is a standard of care. Platinum-containing chemotherapy is the most common, also used in neoadjuvant setting. There is no standard secondline treatment for TETs after chemotherapy failure. We present a case of 39-year-old woman with recurrent unresectable thymoma type B2 located in the thorax, with positive somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, who was treated with somatostatin analogue without prednisolone for 94 months. She underwent prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy, non-radical surgery (R2) with adjuvant irradiation, and salvage chemotherapy. She started long-acting, intramuscular octreotide at the initial dose of 20 mg and continued 30 mg every month since april 2011. Steroids were withheld due to patient’s obesity. Complete radiological remission under octreotide treatment was achieved and it has been continuing till now. The tolerance of octreotide is good. Our case is the longest reported with complete remission achieved with octreotide in thymoma. Somatostatin analogues may represent a valuable treatment option for advanced/recurrent refractory thymoma tumors showing an increased uptake at octreoscan.

Keywords: Thymoma; Somatostatin analogue; Octreotide; Second line treatment.