The relationship between CT scan and incidence of intrathoracic thymoma metastases in Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta

Abstract

Background: Intrathoracic metastases are the most common form of metastasis in thymoma patients that influences the patient's life expectancy. Observing the tumor profile based on CT scan images is one of the ways that can be used to predict the presence of intrathoracic metastases in thymoma patients. However, there are not many studies reported.Methods: This observational analytic study with a cross-sectional approach was conducted on 60 thymoma patients who had undergone a chest CT scan at Dr Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta and held from September 2020 to February 2021. Two research variables were used: the incidence of intrathoracic metastases as the dependent variable and the thymoma CT scan image as the independent variable. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0 software, including hypothesis testing and Chi-Square test with a 95% confidence level.Results: Intrathoracic metastases were found in 78.3% of the thymomas patients. Based on the analysis between chest CT scan findings and the presence of intrathoracic metastases in thymoma patients, it was found that a significant association between tumor density and the incidence of intrathoracic metastases with heterogeneous density increased the risk of intrathoracic metastases 6.72 times higher with a form of subpleural nodules and pleural effusions with a p-value of 0.037 and 0.027.Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between thymoma density based on a chest CT scan and the incidence of intrathoracic metastases in Dr. Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta.