Thymoma and thymic carcinomas

Abstract

Thymomas (Ts) and thymic carcinomas (TCs) are rare tumours of the mediastinum with an incidence rate of 1.7/million per year in Europe. Histological classification is based on rate of non-malignant-appearing thymic epithelial cells and proportions of lymphocytes (A, AB, B1, B2, B3, and C), while staging system concerns localisation of the involved areas. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment with a 10-year survival of 80%, 78%, 75%, and 42% for stages I, II, III and IV, respectively, with an R0 resection. Radiotherapy has a role in selected cases (stage III patients or R1-2 residual) and platinum-based chemotherapy remains the standard of care for patients with advanced disease. A multimodality approach would be advisable when surgery is not recommended. Since molecular aberrations are poorly understood and few responses are reported, targeted therapies are yet being studied. In this review, we describe key aspects of clinical management for Ts and TCs.

Expression ofPTENand its pseudogenePTENP1, and promoter methylation ofPTENin non-tumourous thymus and thymic tumours

“…Advanced stage thymic tumours are currently treated with the same regimens regardless of histological subtypes of thymoma and TC and only a few targeted therapies have been tried for thymic epithelial tumours 24. We hope that our study leads to further understanding of PTEN regulation in thymic tumours and contributes to the development of personalised therapy for thymoma according to histological subtype.…”

Spontaneous rupture of hepatic metastasis from a thymoma: A case report

“…However, the incidence of thymoma is very low, and has been shown to be 0.15 cases per 100000 population. The disease progression is very slow, the condition remains silent for many years, and the tumor is generally incidentally identified[3]. A multidisciplinary approach is essential in the management of a thymoma.…”

Proteomic Signatures of Thymomas

“…[3, 4] B3 thymomas, have a higher metastatic potential and patients may benefit from radiation and/or chemotherapy in addition to thymectomy. [5, 6] For these reasons, a biomarker with the ability to distinguish between type A and type B3 thymomas will be clinically valuable in providing a supplementary objective diagnosis. Through the improvement of thymoma subtype diagnosis, an appropriate treatment plan is devised for the specific disease allowing for better patient outcome.…”