Abstract
Thymic carcinomas are invasive malignancies of the thymic epithelium, with thymic squamous cell carcinoma being a common histologic variant. Thus, thymic carcinoma can be an overt histologic mimic of lung squamous cell carcinoma. These two entities can often be differentiated based on localization of tumor site using imaging and gross findings. When a bronchial in situ component is present, a pulmonary primary site is strongly favored. The histology of thymic carcinoma is generally that of a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma; histology alone may not reliably distinguish between these two entities. In contrast, thymic squamous cell carcinoma has a somewhat distinct immunohistologic profile, usually expressing PAX8, CD5, and CD117. While the genomic alterations identified in thymic carcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma have been found to differ, these are not currently useful as a basis for diagnostic distinction.
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Chia, J.J., Fishbein, G.A. (2022). Thymic Carcinoma Versus Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma. In: Xu, H., Ricciotti, R.W., Mantilla, J.G. (eds) Practical Lung Pathology. Practical Anatomic Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14402-8_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14402-8_20
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