Mo Yun-Xian, Zheng Lie, Xie Chuan-Miao, Shen Jing-Xian, Wu Pei-Hong, Su Xiao-Dong
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, P. R. China.
Ai Zheng. 2006 Nov;25(11):1389-94.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Thymic epithelial tumors have a broad spectrum of biologic and morphologic features. This study was to assess the CT features of various subtypes of thymic epithelial tumors on the basis of the 1999 World Health Organization (WHO) classification.
CT features of thymic epithelial tumors in 94 patients were retrospectively analyzed. All cases were confirmed histologically according to the 1999 WHO classification, including 7 cases of type A, 24 cases of type AB, 16 cases of type B1, 13 cases of type B2, 16 cases of type B3, and 18 cases of type C.
In the 94 cases, the long- and short-axis diameters of type A and type AB tumors were significantly shorter than those of type C tumors (P<0.05). All type A tumors had smooth contours, type A, AB, and B1 tumors were likely to have smooth contours (P<0.05), while type B3 and C tumors were likely to have irregular contours (P<0.05). Type A tumors had less necrotic areas than any other types (P<0.05). Multiple calcifications were more frequently seen in type B2, B3, and C tumors than in type A, AB, and B1 tumors (P<0.05). Homogeneous enhancement was more frequently seen in type A, AB, B1, and B2 tumors than in type B3 and C tumors (P<0.001). Type B3 and C tumors significantly preferred to infiltrate into mediastinal fat than any other types (P<0.05).
Though CT features of different subtypes of thymic epithelial tumors according to WHO classification are overlapped, short diameter, smooth contour, round shape, homogeneous density, and homogeneous enhancement are most suggestive for type A tumor; large diameter, irregular contour, necrosis and multiple calcifications in the lesion, heterogeneous enhancement, mediastinal fat infiltration, and great vessel infiltration are most suggestive for type B3 and C tumors.
胸腺上皮肿瘤具有广泛的生物学和形态学特征。本研究旨在基于1999年世界卫生组织（WHO）分类评估胸腺上皮肿瘤各亚型的CT特征。
回顾性分析94例胸腺上皮肿瘤患者的CT特征。所有病例均根据1999年WHO分类进行组织学确诊，其中A型7例，AB型24例，B1型16例，B2型13例，B3型16例，C型18例。
94例中，A型和AB型肿瘤的长径和短径显著短于C型肿瘤（P<0.05）。所有A型肿瘤轮廓光滑，A型、AB型和B1型肿瘤轮廓多光滑（P<0.05），而B3型和C型肿瘤轮廓多不规则（P<0.05）。A型肿瘤坏死区少于其他任何类型（P<0.05）。B2型、B3型和C型肿瘤比A型、AB型和B1型肿瘤更常见多发钙化（P<0.05）。A型、AB型、B1型和B2型肿瘤比B3型和C型肿瘤更常见均匀强化（P<0.001）。B3型和C型肿瘤比其他任何类型更易侵犯纵隔脂肪（P<0.05）。
尽管根据WHO分类的胸腺上皮肿瘤不同亚型的CT特征有重叠，但短径、轮廓光滑、圆形、密度均匀和均匀强化最提示A型肿瘤；大径、轮廓不规则、病变内坏死和多发钙化、不均匀强化、纵隔脂肪浸润和大血管浸润最提示B3型和C型肿瘤。
