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The spectrum of ectopic thymomas

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Abstract

Thymomas are rare tumors that usually manifest in the anterosuperior mediastinum. Occasionally, thymomas may also originate from ectopically dispersed thymic tissue and can arise in locations such as the neck, lung, or pleura or other locations in the thoracic cavity. The occurrence of thymomas in these ectopic locations can cause substantial diagnostic difficulty as the entity is almost never included in the differential diagnosis and its biphasic morphology can cause further complications during the diagnostic process. In this review, we summarize the clinical and pathological spectrum of ectopic thymomas and discuss the histogenesis, treatment, and prognosis of these extraordinary tumors.

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  1. Department of Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Annikka Weissferdt & Cesar A Moran

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  1. Annikka Weissferdt
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Correspondence to Annikka Weissferdt.

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Weissferdt, A., Moran, C.A. The spectrum of ectopic thymomas. Virchows Arch 469, 245–254 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-016-1967-0

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