Chemotherapy and operation for invasive thymoma.

Sixteen patients with invasive thymoma (stage III and stage IVA) were treated with chemotherapy and then operation. All tumors were considered nonresectable after first staging, and patients were treated with the following chemotherapy in 4-day courses, administered intravenously: cisplatin (50 mg/m 2 ) and doxorubicin (40 mg/m 2 ) on day 1, vincristine (0.6 mg/m 2 ) on day 3, and cyclophosphamide (700 mg/m 2 ) on day 4. The courses were repeated every 3 weeks, and toxic effects were well tolerated. Seven patients (43%) had a complete remission, and nine patients (57%) had a partial remission, with an overall complete remission plus pill remission rate of 100%