Effect of Age on the Clinicopathological Characteristics and Survival Outcomes of Thymoma Patients

Abstract

Background: Age is an important prognostic factor for thymoma; however, few studies have specifically focused on age-related survival outcomes in thymoma patients. This study explored the effect of age on the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of thymoma patients. Methods: We reviewed the clinical data of 1984 chest thymoma patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of the National Cancer Institute. In accordance with the World Health Organization age brackets, the patients were divided into young (group A, 0 - 44-year-old); middle-aged (group B, 45 - 59-year-old); old (group C, 60 - 74-year-old); and seniors (group D 75 - 84-year-old). Single-factor and multivariate analysis were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and a multivariate Cox regression model was generated to assess patient prognosis. Results: In total, 1984 patients were included. The median follow-up time was 156.0 months (range: 0 - 492 months). Group C (60 - 74-year-old) had the most patients (35.1%), and Group D had the fewest patients (12.3%). Among all age groups, the proportion of white people and men with thymoma increased with age, while the proportion of black people and women showed a downward trend. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the overall survival rate of thymoma patients was negatively correlated with age. The overall survival times of the four groups were significantly different (p < 0.001). Age, gender, race, surgery or not, and histological type were independent prognostic factors that affected overall survival. Conclusion: Age is an important prognostic factor for survival in thymoma patients, and younger patients have a survival advantage over older patients.