• Title/Summary/Keyword: Treatment experience

Search Result 2,439, Processing Time 0.03 seconds

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Lobectomy: Experience with 36 Cases (비디오 흉강경을 이용한 폐엽절제술: 치험 36예)

  • Lee, Hee-Sung;Lee, Jae-Woong;Kim, Kun-Il;Cho, Sung-Woo;Park, Sang-Jun;Kim, Hyoung-Soo;Shin, Yoon-Cheol;Shin, Ho-Seung
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
    • /
    • v.42 no.6
    • /
    • pp.732-737
    • /
    • 2009
  • Background: Many video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomies are performed as a potential alternative to thoracotomy despite the controversy about the safety and the associated morbidity/mortality rates. Material and Method: Between November 2006 and August 2008, we performed 87 lobectomies (VATS 36, Thoracotomy 51) and we retrospectively reviewed the surgical treatment results. A VATS lobectomy was performed by a 4~5 cm thoracotomy without rib spreading and this included anatomic hilar dissection, individual vessel and bronchus stapling and lymph node dissection. Result: We studied 52 male and 35 female patients whose age ranged from 6 to 79 (average age: $59.8{\pm}15.0$ years). The cases were diagnosed with lung cancer (66) (SQC 24, ADC 38, others 4), pulmonary metastasis (2), carcinoid (2) and benign diseases (17). There was no intraoperative death. Postoperative complications were seen in 5 (15.6%) VATS and 33 (64.7%) thoracotomies, and perioperative death caused by adult respiratory distress syndrome occurred in 1 (2.8%) VATS and 3 (5.9%) thoracotomies. Three patients Underwent conversion to thoracotomy (8.3%). The mean time to chest tube removal was 6 days for VATS and 9.4 days for thoracotomy (p<0.001), and the mean length of the hospital stay was 8 days for VATS and 12.8 days for thoracotomy (p<0.001). Conclusion: VATS lobectomy can be performed safely with low morbidity/mortality rates. Furthermore, all the patients benefited from earlier postoperative rehabilitation and less pain and they were candidates for an earlier return to normal activities.

Effects of Preoperative Radiotherapy for $T_2,\;T_3$ Distal Rectal Cancer ($T_2,\;T_3$ 하부직장암의 수술 전 방사선치료 효과)

  • Kang Ki Mun;Choi Byung Ock;Jang Hong Seok;Kang Young Nam;Chai Gyu Young;Choi Ihl Bohng
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
    • /
    • v.20 no.3
    • /
    • pp.215-220
    • /
    • 2002
  • Purpose : Preoperative radiotherapy has been used to induce tumor regression and allow complete resection of rectal cancer with a sphincter preservation surgery. This study was performed to determine the effectiveness of preoperative radiotherapy for $T_2,\;T_3$ distal rectal carcinoma. Materials and Methods : From November 1995 to June 1997, fifteen patients with invasive distal rectal cancer were treated with preoperative radiotherapy followed by sphincter preservation surgery. Classification by preoperative T stage consisted of 7 $T_2$ and 8 $T_3$ tumors. Radiation therapy was delivered with 6 MV and 15 MV linear accelerator, at 1.8 Gy fractions for 5 days per week. Total radiation doses were 45 Gy to 50.4 Gy (median : 50.4 Gy). Sphincter preservation surgery was peformed $4\~6$ weeks after the completion of radiotherapy. Median follow-up was 22 months (range : $16\~37\;months$). Results : One patient $(6.7\%)$ had a complete pathologic response. Comparing the stage at the diagnostic workup with the pathologic stage, tumor downstaging of T stages occurred in 11 of 15 patients $(73.3\%)$ and $N_1$ stages occurred in 2 of 5 patients $(40\%)$. No patient developed progressive disease undergoing treatment. Two patients suffered local recurrence at 7 and 20 months, and one a distant metastasis at 30 months. No grade 3 or 4 toxicity was observed. Conclusion : Our experience suggests that preoperative radiotherapy followed by sphincter preservation surgery is well tolerated, and can significantly reduce the tumor burden for $T_2\;T_3$ distal rectal cancer.

An Experience of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in 9 Pediatric Patients (소아에서 시행한 치료적 혈장교환술 9례의 임상적 고찰)

  • Lee Jee-Hyun;Jeon Ga-Won;Park Sung-Eun;Jin Dong-Kyu;Paik Kyung-Hoon
    • Childhood Kidney Diseases
    • /
    • v.9 no.1
    • /
    • pp.38-45
    • /
    • 2005
  • Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analyze the therapeutic effect of plasmapheresis in various pediatric diseases. Methods : Therapeutic plasmapheresis was performed by COBE Spectra centrifugation. Nine cases were included in this study. The number an[;. method of plasmapheresis, together with the progress and prognosis of each case were retrospectively reviewed. Results : The patients' ages ranged from 26 mont]Is to 16 years of age, and the mean age was 9.9 years. There were S males and 4 females. The underlying diseases requiring plasmapheresis included 2 cases of hemolytic uremic svndrome(HUS), 1 case of lupus nephritis, 2 cases of rapidly Progressive glomerulonephritis(RPGN), 1 case of focal segmental glomorulosclerosis(FSGS), 1 case of systemic vasculitis after pulmonary hemorrhage, 1 case of acute renal failure associated with pulmonary hemoIThage, and 1 case of acute rejection after renal transplantation. The average number of plasmapheresis performed was 6.2 times with a range of 3 to 13 times. The patients with HUS, lupus nephritis, ANCA positive systemic vasculitis induced by pulmonary hemorrhage and ARF-associated pulmonary hemorrhage showed a good response to therapeutic plasmapheresis, but the patients with RPGN, refractory FSGS, and acute rejection after renal transplantation were not responsive to treatment. The most common side effect was hypocalcemia which was rarely symptomatic. Vital signs were not compromised. Conclusion : Although it is presumptuous to generalize the therapeutic effects of plasma pheresis in different diseases due to the small number of study subjects, this study shows that plasmapheresis may be an effective therapeutic modality in various pediatrics diseases and should be considered as a therapeutic option.

  • PDF

The Life Experiences of the Deaf Elderly (농아노인의 생활 경험)

  • Park, Ina;Hwang, YoungHee;Kim, Hanho
    • 한국노년학
    • /
    • v.36 no.3
    • /
    • pp.525-540
    • /
    • 2016
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate what kind of experiences the deaf elderly would have in the course of life. It also aimed to promote the understanding of their living difficulties and culture among people with normal hearing and provide basic data to help them live with others as members of the community. Phenomenological qualitative research was conducted as part of the methodology. The subjects include seven deaf old people. Based on the results of in-depth interview and analysis, the life experiences of the deaf elderly were categorized into "unforgettable wounds," "life in the community," "life with the family," "marriage of the deaf elderly", and "living by adjusting to reality." First, the subcategories of "unforgettable wounds" include "receiving no treatment for fever," "damage by the Korean War," "alienation from the family," and "people's cold eyes." It turned out that the deaf elderly had led a life, suffering from the heart wounds that they could not forget. Second, the subcategories of "life in the community" include "inconvenience in life," "disadvantages in life," and "severed life." The deaf elderly were not only subjected to inconvenience and disadvantages in life, but also suffered loneliness, being cut off from the community. Third, the subcategories of "life with the family" include "not communicating with children," "being abandoned again," "being used by the family," "being lonely even with the family," and "wishing to live independently from the family." The deaf elderly were not supported by their families and were abandoned or used by them, leading a solitary life. Fourth, the subcategories of "marriage of the deaf elderly" include"send as a surrogate mother," "frequent remarriage and divorce," "lean on as a married couple." Deaf elderly form their own culture of the marriage and lean on each other. Finally, the subcategories of "living by adjusting to reality" include "getting help from neighbors," "behaving oneself right in life," "learning Hangul," "living by working," "living freely," "living by missing," and "controlling the impulse to end life," "resorting to religion." The deaf elderly made the most alienated and vulnerable group with no access to benefits due to their limitations as a linguistic and social minority, but they made efforts to form their own culture and adjust to reality for themselves. Based on those findings, the study made the following proposals: first, there is a need for practical approaches to heal the ineffaceable wounds in the hearts of deaf elderly. Second, there is a need for policies to help them experience no inconvenience and disadvantages as members of community and communicate with people with normal hearing. Third, there should be practical approaches to enable them to get recognition and support from their families and share love with them. Finally, there should be practical policy approaches to help people with normal hearing understand the culture of deaf elderly and assist the deaf elderly to receive supports from the community and live with others within the community.

Comparison of perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism (증산계 신종교와 유교, 도교의 죽음관 비교)

  • Shin, Jin-sik
    • The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
    • /
    • no.58
    • /
    • pp.201-243
    • /
    • 2018
  • Understanding the theory of how a religion accepts the perspective on death is a prerequisite to grasp the identity and characteristics of such religion. Furthermore, contemplating the perspective on death, itself has a significant meaning as the contemplation provides an insight on how religion has, currently is and how it would influence the practical life of the human race. This current study compares and analyzes the perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism. By comparing the perspectives on death, this study seeks to conclude the similarity and discrepancy of New Religions of Jeungsan, Confucianism and Taoism. The objective of this study is to summarize the religious characteristic and identity of New Religions of Jeungsan, and the social role of New Religions of Jeungsan. How does New Religions of Jeungsan preach afterlife? This question implies varieties of questions including: In what shape or form does human exist in afterlife?; Does human maintain their original identity in afterlife?; What happens to relations with family members in afterlife?; What is one's role in afterlife, and what would one experience in afterlife? or Does soul transmigrate or are reborn? This current study compares the answers to these questions one by one with Confucianism and Taoism.In general, this current study was conducted with a non-religious methodology. Death can be explained in three different domains: the psychological domain explaining the individual psychological awareness upon encountering death; the philosophical-religious domain explaining the death through the philosophical understanding of the human concept; and the socio-cultural domain explaining death through the social ceremonies upon death.This current study focuses on the philosophical domain of the perspective on death accepted by New Religions of Jeungsan, with a comparison of the socio-cultural significance. To understand the perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan, It is indispensable to explain the five key elements of Hon(魂), Baek (魄), Shin(神), Young(靈) and Seon(仙) that construe death. The perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan imposes a multi layer of acceptance and overcoming. This current study complements the problems and limits of previous studies by comparison with Confucianism and Taoism. Throughout this process, this current study intends to highlight the key elements of the perspective on death preached by Deasunjinrihoe, and identify the aspects of each key element. With the sophisticated discussion of the perspective on death provided by New Religions of Jeungsan with clarity, this current study will provide grounds for future studies to extract, in detail, the aspects of the perspective on death preached by New Religions of Jeungsan, in further subjects including: discussions on death such as rituals for death, treatment of bodies, funerals, educating death, euthanasia, or suicide; discussions on the existence of hell; discussions on psychological aspects of ones who encounter death; or discussions on rebirth of those who died during the creation era. This current study will provide an overview on what kind of perspective on death does those who are faithful to New Religions of Jeungsan have and currently are living their life with.

Exploration of Children's Age and Parental Emotional Supportiveness that Impact the Accuracy of Children's Memory (아동의 회상 보고 정확성에 아동의 연령, 양육자의 지지가 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Seungjin
    • Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
    • /
    • v.22 no.4
    • /
    • pp.523-541
    • /
    • 2016
  • Both the child's and defendant's testimonies play crucial roles in the court's ruling of a child abuse case. Thus, empirical studies examining a child's truthful report, that is, disclosure, of his or her experience and recantation of the disclosure have manifold practical implications. The objective of the present study was to examine how easily a child recants his or her testimony after witnessing and disclosing an adult engaging in a small mistake. Furthermore, this study examined whether the child's age and emotional support from his or her caregiver predict the recantation of the child's testimony. Children of age 5-8 years played with dolls with the experimenter and witnessed the experimenter breaking the doll mask. The experimenter asked the children to keep it a secret. Then the children had the first memory interview, during which the interviewer induced the child to disclose the incident. Based on the treatment conditions, some children were provided supportive feedback while other received unsupportive feedback from their primary caregivers (mother) regarding the disclosure, then were interviewed for the second time. First, the author of this study examined whether the children would recant their disclosure (whether they would deny the incident after telling the truth of about what happened to the doll), and also examined the features of the child's voluntary reports, that is, the degree of their honesty. The findings of the experiment indicated that there were age-specific differences in the frequency of recantation, meaning that older children (8-9-year-olds) showed a stronger tendency to maintain their recantation in the second interview than relatively younger children (6-7-year-olds). Furthermore, children who received supportive responses from their mothers regarding the disclosure demonstrated more honest reports compared to those who received unsupportive responses from their mothers. The findings of this study assist the understanding of the effects of social-motivational factors on the process of children disclosing the truth when voluntarily recalling a negative incident that they had experienced and provide practical implications in legal aspects.

A Study on Effective Information Delivery of Digital Sign Systems in General Hospitals (종합병원 디지털 정보안내사인의 효과적 정보전달을 위한 연구)

  • Kim, Hwa Sil;Paik, Jin Kyung
    • Korea Science and Art Forum
    • /
    • v.19
    • /
    • pp.281-292
    • /
    • 2015
  • For this study, I conducted a survey investigating current situation, user preference, and field experiment. Hospitals utilizing digital sign systems at least five years were selected, which are connected with visual elements (layout, typo, color) used in waiting areas and elements of the systems (time, video time line). The results obtained from the field survey showed that digital sign systems used the color of typo and background contrasted to one another to increase explicitness and to ensure easy understanding of contents. In addition, the Gothic typo with relatively high legibility was adopted. Time and video timeline, which characterize digital sign systems, showed the advertising screens of the hospitals and the guidance of medical treatment at regular intervals. Moreover, survey results on user satisfaction showed that a majority of respondents indicated they had difficulty in understanding digital information conveyed from digital sign systems due to time setting for rotational speed or the small size of typo although most of the users had previous experience with digital sign systems. The highest proportion of respondents (n=86, 86%) answered that information related to medical departments was what they sought most frequently and that this kind of information should be importantly considered in digital sign systems. For the experiment, new samples with restructured contents of current digital sign systems were created and tested while keeping its design unchanged as well as applying these new samples. Study participants were in their 20s through 50s. When the size of typo was larger under the same conditions for all age groups, study participants found the desired information approximately 3.5 seconds faster. In addition, those in their 20-30s and 40-50s showed the time difference of 4.7 seconds for small typo and 6 seconds for large typo, which suggested that there was a difference by age in the amount of time taken in the experiment to find the desired information from the rotating digital sign system regardless of age and the size of typo.

The Public Health Welfare Conception of the Beveridge Report and Its Realization via the NHS (베버리지 보고서의 의료보장 구상과 NHS를 통한 구현)

  • Juneyoub Han;Jiyong Park
    • The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
    • /
    • v.24 no.3
    • /
    • pp.59-104
    • /
    • 2023
  • This essay attempts to analyze the public health welfare conception within the text of the Beveridge Report and its realization via the NHS in Great Britain. Once referring to the influence of the Report to create the foundations of the 20th-century welfare system, the quest to scrutinize the original intentions of the Report and its succession to the NHS is certainly intriguing. Furthermore, when regarding the significance of public health policy for a modern state, the effort to engage in Beveridge's conception and its realization is more than timely. In light of such a premise, this paper indulges in its study by the following methods. First, the historical background of the Report - namely, the role of the spirit of the age and the experience of the Emergency Medical Service are to be analyzed to identify the origins of the welfare policies proposed by Beveridge. Furthermore, the public health welfare conception of the Report conceived from its time is reflected upon by engaging on the goal towards social welfare and public health scheme. Lastly, the aims of the NHS and its management, treatment classification, and rehabilitation program are reviewed for comparative analysis with the Report to survey the realization of Beveridge's design. In this process, this paper not only takes into account the original text of the Report - but also other essential works of law and public policy, including the NHS Constitution for England and the National Health Service Act of 1946. The intentions of this study are not bound by merely coinciding with the Report, but resonate significance via reflecting upon the Beveridgian legacy on the modern welfare state from the current perspective. The structured analysis to research the aims and policies of the Report and to compare them to the reality of the NHS may provide an opportunity to confirm the realization of Beveridge's scheme in British society. In addition, this essay is part of an academic endeavor to critically assess the past and the present of the welfare institution in the public health sector. As such, it is hopeful that the essay sheds light on further studies concerning the constructive remedies of the Korean welfare system as well.

Perceptional Change of a New Product, DMB Phone

  • Kim, Ju-Young;Ko, Deok-Im
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
    • /
    • v.18 no.3
    • /
    • pp.59-88
    • /
    • 2008
  • Digital Convergence means integration between industry, technology, and contents, and in marketing, it usually comes with creation of new types of product and service under the base of digital technology as digitalization progress in electro-communication industries including telecommunication, home appliance, and computer industries. One can see digital convergence not only in instruments such as PC, AV appliances, cellular phone, but also in contents, network, service that are required in production, modification, distribution, re-production of information. Convergence in contents started around 1990. Convergence in network and service begins as broadcasting and telecommunication integrates and DMB(digital multimedia broadcasting), born in May, 2005 is the symbolic icon in this trend. There are some positive and negative expectations about DMB. The reason why two opposite expectations exist is that DMB does not come out from customer's need but from technology development. Therefore, customers might have hard time to interpret the real meaning of DMB. Time is quite critical to a high tech product, like DMB because another product with same function from different technology can replace the existing product within short period of time. If DMB does not positioning well to customer's mind quickly, another products like Wibro, IPTV, or HSPDA could replace it before it even spreads out. Therefore, positioning strategy is critical for success of DMB product. To make correct positioning strategy, one needs to understand how consumer interprets DMB and how consumer's interpretation can be changed via communication strategy. In this study, we try to investigate how consumer perceives a new product, like DMB and how AD strategy change consumer's perception. More specifically, the paper segment consumers into sub-groups based on their DMB perceptions and compare their characteristics in order to understand how they perceive DMB. And, expose them different printed ADs that have messages guiding consumer think DMB in specific ways, either cellular phone or personal TV. Research Question 1: Segment consumers according to perceptions about DMB and compare characteristics of segmentations. Research Question 2: Compare perceptions about DMB after AD that induces categorization of DMB in direction for each segment. If one understand and predict a direction in which consumer perceive a new product, firm can select target customers easily. We segment consumers according to their perception and analyze characteristics in order to find some variables that can influence perceptions, like prior experience, usage, or habit. And then, marketing people can use this variables to identify target customers and predict their perceptions. If one knows how customer's perception is changed via AD message, communication strategy could be constructed properly. Specially, information from segmented customers helps to develop efficient AD strategy for segment who has prior perception. Research framework consists of two measurements and one treatment, O1 X O2. First observation is for collecting information about consumer's perception and their characteristics. Based on first observation, the paper segment consumers into two groups, one group perceives DMB similar to Cellular phone and the other group perceives DMB similar to TV. And compare characteristics of two segments in order to find reason why they perceive DMB differently. Next, we expose two kinds of AD to subjects. One AD describes DMB as Cellular phone and the other Ad describes DMB as personal TV. When two ADs are exposed to subjects, consumers don't know their prior perception of DMB, in other words, which subject belongs 'similar-to-Cellular phone' segment or 'similar-to-TV' segment? However, we analyze the AD's effect differently for each segment. In research design, final observation is for investigating AD effect. Perception before AD is compared with perception after AD. Comparisons are made for each segment and for each AD. For the segment who perceives DMB similar to TV, AD that describes DMB as cellular phone could change the prior perception. And AD that describes DMB as personal TV, could enforce the prior perception. For data collection, subjects are selected from undergraduate students because they have basic knowledge about most digital equipments and have open attitude about a new product and media. Total number of subjects is 240. In order to measure perception about DMB, we use indirect measurement, comparison with other similar digital products. To select similar digital products, we pre-survey students and then finally select PDA, Car-TV, Cellular Phone, MP3 player, TV, and PSP. Quasi experiment is done at several classes under instructor's allowance. After brief introduction, prior knowledge, awareness, and usage about DMB as well as other digital instruments is asked and their similarities and perceived characteristics are measured. And then, two kinds of manipulated color-printed AD are distributed and similarities and perceived characteristics for DMB are re-measured. Finally purchase intension, AD attitude, manipulation check, and demographic variables are asked. Subjects are given small gift for participation. Stimuli are color-printed advertising. Their actual size is A4 and made after several pre-test from AD professionals and students. As results, consumers are segmented into two subgroups based on their perceptions of DMB. Similarity measure between DMB and cellular phone and similarity measure between DMB and TV are used to classify consumers. If subject whose first measure is less than the second measure, she is classified into segment A and segment A is characterized as they perceive DMB like TV. Otherwise, they are classified as segment B, who perceives DMB like cellular phone. Discriminant analysis on these groups with their characteristics of usage and attitude shows that Segment A knows much about DMB and uses a lot of digital instrument. Segment B, who thinks DMB as cellular phone doesn't know well about DMB and not familiar with other digital instruments. So, consumers with higher knowledge perceive DMB similar to TV because launching DMB advertising lead consumer think DMB as TV. Consumers with less interest on digital products don't know well about DMB AD and then think DMB as cellular phone. In order to investigate perceptions of DMB as well as other digital instruments, we apply Proxscal analysis, Multidimensional Scaling technique at SPSS statistical package. At first step, subjects are presented 21 pairs of 7 digital instruments and evaluate similarity judgments on 7 point scale. And for each segment, their similarity judgments are averaged and similarity matrix is made. Secondly, Proxscal analysis of segment A and B are done. At third stage, get similarity judgment between DMB and other digital instruments after AD exposure. Lastly, similarity judgments of group A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2 are named as 'after DMB' and put them into matrix made at the first stage. Then apply Proxscal analysis on these matrixes and check the positional difference of DMB and after DMB. The results show that map of segment A, who perceives DMB similar as TV, shows that DMB position closer to TV than to Cellular phone as expected. Map of segment B, who perceive DMB similar as cellular phone shows that DMB position closer to Cellular phone than to TV as expected. Stress value and R-square is acceptable. And, change results after stimuli, manipulated Advertising show that AD makes DMB perception bent toward Cellular phone when Cellular phone-like AD is exposed, and that DMB positioning move towards Car-TV which is more personalized one when TV-like AD is exposed. It is true for both segment, A and B, consistently. Furthermore, the paper apply correspondence analysis to the same data and find almost the same results. The paper answers two main research questions. The first one is that perception about a new product is made mainly from prior experience. And the second one is that AD is effective in changing and enforcing perception. In addition to above, we extend perception change to purchase intention. Purchase intention is high when AD enforces original perception. AD that shows DMB like TV makes worst intention. This paper has limitations and issues to be pursed in near future. Methodologically, current methodology can't provide statistical test on the perceptual change, since classical MDS models, like Proxscal and correspondence analysis are not probability models. So, a new probability MDS model for testing hypothesis about configuration needs to be developed. Next, advertising message needs to be developed more rigorously from theoretical and managerial perspective. Also experimental procedure could be improved for more realistic data collection. For example, web-based experiment and real product stimuli and multimedia presentation could be employed. Or, one can display products together in simulated shop. In addition, demand and social desirability threats of internal validity could influence on the results. In order to handle the threats, results of the model-intended advertising and other "pseudo" advertising could be compared. Furthermore, one can try various level of innovativeness in order to check whether it make any different results (cf. Moon 2006). In addition, if one can create hypothetical product that is really innovative and new for research, it helps to make a vacant impression status and then to study how to form impression in more rigorous way.

  • PDF

Analysis of the Radiation Therapy Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Thymoma (흉선종에 대한 방사선치료 성적 및 예후인자분석)

  • Lee, Seok-Ho;Lee, Kyu-Chan;Choi, Jin-Ho;Lee, Jae-Ik;Sym, Sun-Jin;Cho, Eun-Kyung
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
    • /
    • v.28 no.1
    • /
    • pp.1-8
    • /
    • 2010
  • Purpose: This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of radiation therapy (RT) and to investigate the prognostic factors for thymoma when treated with RT. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 21 patients with thymoma and also received RT from March 2002 to January 2008. The median follow-up time was 37 months (range, 3 to 89 months). The median patient age was 57 years (range, 24 to 77 years) and the gender ratio of males to females was 4:3. Of the 21 patients, complete resections (trans-sternal thymectomy) and R2 resections were performed in 14 and 1 patient, respectively. A biopsy was performed in 6 patients (28.7%). The WHO cell types in the 21 patients were as follows: 1 patient (4.8%) had type A, 10 patients (47.6%) had type B1-3, and 10 patients (47.6%) had type C. Based on Masaoka staging, 10 patients (47.6%) were stage II, 7 patients (33.3%) were stage III, and 4 patients (19.1%) were stage IVa. Three-dimensional RT was adminstered to the tumor volume (planned target volume), including the anterior mediastinum and the residual disease. The total RT dose ranged from 52.0 to 70.2 Gy (median dose, 54 Gy). Consistent with the WHO criteria, the response rate was only analyzed for the 6 patients who received a biopsy only. The prognostic factors analyzed for an estimate of survival included age, gender, tumor size, tumor pathology, Masaoka stage, the possibility of treatment by performing surgery, the presence of myasthenia gravis, and RT dose. Results: The 3-year overall survival rate (OS) and the progression free survival rate (PFS) were 80.7% and 78.2%, respectively. Among the 10 patients with WHO cell type C, 3 of 4 patients (75%) who underwent a complete resection and 3 of 6 patients (50%) who underwent a biopsy survived. Distant metastasis developed in 4 patients (19.1%). The overall response rate in the 6 patients who received biopsy only were as follows: partial remission in 4 patients (66.7%), stable disease in 1 patient (16.6%), and progressive disease in 1 patient (16.6%). Acute RTOG radiation pneumonitis occurred in 1 patient (4.8%), grade 2 occurred in 2 patients (9.5%), grade 3 occurred in 1 patient (4.8%), and grade 4 occurred in 1 patient (4.8%). A univariate analysis revealed that the significant prognostic factors for OS were age (${\geq}60$, 58.3%; <60, 100%; p=0.0194), pathology (WHO cell type A-B3, 100%; C, 58.3%; p=0.0194) and, whether the patient underwent surgery (yes, 93.3%; no, 50%; p=0.0096). Conclusion: For the 15 patients who received surgery, there was no local failure within the radiation field. In patients with WHO cell type C, surgical procedures could have resulted in a more favorable outcome than biopsy alone. We report here our clinical experience in 21 patients with thymoma who were treated by radiation therapy.