this study is to describe national utilization and oncologicoutcomes of MIT for early stage (I to II) thymoma in theUnited States.
Only patients with Masaoka-Koga stage I or II thymoma were included because MIT is generally not recommended for more advanced tumors.
Whereas stage is most precisely defined by pathologic invasion, we used stage I to II tumors as surrogates for less-invasive, resectable tumors appropriate for MIT. Similarly, patients with thymic carcinoma were excluded because these rare tumors are less commonly diagnosed in early stages and more likely to invade surrounding structures.