Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thymic Cancer

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Advances in Radiation Oncology in Lung Cancer

Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Radiat Oncol))

  • 321 Accesses

Abstract

The thymus gland is a capsulated lymphoepithelial organ located in the anterior mediastinum. It is composed of an outer cortex consisting of epithelial cells, and medulla composed of degenerated keratinized epithelial cells (Hassall’s corpuscles), myoid cells, thymic lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes. The gland weighs approximately 15 g at birth and 40 g at puberty; however, it slowly involutes in adulthood (Pearse 2006). In early life, the thymus functions in T-lymphocyte differentiation and maturation and releases T lymphocytes into the circulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Benveniste MFK, Moran CA, Mawlawi O et al (2013) FDG PET-CT aids in the preoperative assessment of patients with newly diagnosed thymic epithelial malignancies. J Thorac Oncol 8:502–510

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhora FY, Chen DJ, Detterbeck FC et al (2014) The ITMIG/IASLC thymic epithelial tumors staging project: a proposed lymph node map for thymic epithelial tumors in the forthcoming 8th edition of the TNM classification of malignant tumors. J Thorac Oncol 9:S88–S96

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt BM, Yao X, Shrager J et al (2017) Determinants of complete resection of thymoma by minimally invasive and open thymectomy: analysis of an international registry. J Thorac Oncol 12:129–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang JH, Kim HJ, Wu H-G, Kim JH, Kim YT (2011) Postoperative radiotherapy for completely resected stage II or III thymoma. J Thorac Oncol 6:1282–1286

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciernik IF, Meier U, Lütolf UM (1994) Prognostic factors and outcome of incompletely resected invasive thymoma following radiation therapy. J Clin Oncol 12:1484–1490

    Google Scholar 

  • Corona-Cruz JF, López-Saucedo RA, Ramírez-Tirado LA et al (2018) Extended resections of large thymomas: importance of en bloc thymectomy. J Thorac Dis 10:3473–3481

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowen D, Richaud P, Mornex F et al (1995) Thymoma: results of a multicentric retrospective series of 149 non-metastatic irradiated patients and review of the literature. FNCLCC trialists. Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer. Radiother Oncol 34:9–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Curran WJ Jr, Kornstein MJ, Brooks JJ, Turrisi AT III (1988) Invasive thymoma: the role of mediastinal irradiation following complete or incomplete surgical resection. J Clin Oncol 6:1722–1727

    Google Scholar 

  • Davenport E, Malthaner RA (2008) The role of surgery in the management of thymoma: a systematic review. Ann Thorac Surg 86:673–684

    Google Scholar 

  • Detterbeck FC, Parsons AM (2004) Thymic tumors. Ann Thorac Surg 77:1860–1869

    Google Scholar 

  • Detterbeck FC, Stratton K, Giroux D et al (2014) The IASLC/ITMIG Thymic Epithelial Tumors Staging Project: proposal for an evidence-based stage classification system for the forthcoming (8th) edition of the TNM classification of malignant tumors. J Thorac Oncol 9:S65–S72

    Google Scholar 

  • Drevet G, Collaud S, Tronc F, Girard N, Maury J-M (2019) Optimal management of thymic malignancies: current perspectives. Cancer Manag Res 11:6803–6814

    Google Scholar 

  • Eng TY, Fuller CD, Jagirdar J, Bains Y, Thomas CR Jr (2004) Thymic carcinoma: state of the art review. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 59:654–664

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein JI, Egevad L, Amin MB et al (2016) The 2014 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) consensus conference on Gleason grading of prostatic carcinoma definition of grading patterns and proposal for a new grading system. Am J Surg Pathol 40:244–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Falkson CB, Bezjak A, Darling G et al (2009) The management of thymoma: a systematic review and practice guideline. J Thorac Oncol 4:911–919

    Google Scholar 

  • Forquer JA, Rong N, Fakiris AJ, Loehrer PJ Sr, Johnstone PA (2010) Postoperative radiotherapy after surgical resection of thymoma: differing roles in localized and regional disease. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 76:440–445

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu H, Gu ZT, Fang WT et al (2016) Long-term survival after surgical treatment of thymic carcinoma: a retrospective analysis from the Chinese Alliance for Research of Thymoma Database. Ann Surg Oncol 23:619–625

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller CD, Ramahi EH, Aherne N, Eng TY, Thomas CR Jr (2010) Radiotherapy for thymic neoplasms. J Thorac Oncol 5:S327–S335

    Google Scholar 

  • Girard N, Ruffini E, Marx A, Faivre-Finn C, Peters S (2015) Thymic epithelial tumours: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol 26(Suppl 5):v40–v55

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez D, Komaki R (2010) Technical advances of radiation therapy for thymic malignancies. J Thorac Oncol 5:S336–S343

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez D, Komaki R, Yu J, Ikushima H, Bezjak A (2011) Radiation therapy definitions and reporting guidelines for thymic malignancies. J Thorac Oncol 6:S1743–S1748

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez D, Komaki R, Yu J, Ikushima H, Bezjak A (2014) [Radiation therapy definitions and reporting guidelines for thymic malignancies]. Zhongguo Fei Ai Za Zhi 17:110–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Haniuda M, Morimoto M, Nishimura H, Kobayashi O, Yamanda T, Iida F (1992) Adjuvant radiotherapy after complete resection of thymoma. Ann Thorac Surg 54:311–315

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson MA, Ball DL (1991) Post-operative radiotherapy in invasive thymoma. Radiother Oncol 21:77–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson MW, Palma DA, Camidge DR et al (2017) The impact of postoperative radiotherapy for thymoma and thymic carcinoma. J Thorac Oncol 12:734–744

    Google Scholar 

  • Keall PJ, Mageras GS, Balter JM et al (2006) The management of respiratory motion in radiation oncology report of AAPM Task Group 76. Med Phys 33:3874–3900

    Google Scholar 

  • Koga K, Matsuno Y, Noguchi M et al (1994) A review of 79 thymomas: modification of staging system and reappraisal of conventional division into invasive and non-invasive thymoma. Pathol Int 44:359–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Kojima Y, Ito H, Hasegawa S, Sasaki T, Inui K (2006) Resected invasive thymoma with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Jpn J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 54:171–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Komaki R, Gomez DR (2014) Radiotherapy for thymic carcinoma: adjuvant, inductive, and definitive. Front Oncol 3:330

    Google Scholar 

  • Kondo K, Monden Y (2003) Therapy for thymic epithelial tumors: a clinical study of 1,320 patients from Japan. Ann Thorac Surg 76:878–884; discussion 884–885

    Google Scholar 

  • Korst RJ, Kansler AL, Christos PJ, Mandal S (2009) Adjuvant radiotherapy for thymic epithelial tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Thorac Surg 87:1641–1647

    Google Scholar 

  • Kundel Y, Yellin A, Popovtzer A et al (2007) Adjuvant radiotherapy for thymic epithelial tumor: treatment results and prognostic factors. Am J Clin Oncol 30:389–394

    Google Scholar 

  • Latz D, Schraube P, Oppitz U et al (1997) Invasive thymoma: treatment with postoperative radiation therapy. Radiology 204:859–864

    Google Scholar 

  • Lim YJ, Kim HJ, Wu HG (2015) Role of postoperative radiotherapy in nonlocalized thymoma: propensity-matched analysis of surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database. J Thorac Oncol 10:1357–1363

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Q, Gu Z, Yang F et al (2016) The role of postoperative radiotherapy for stage I/II/III thymic tumor-results of the ChART retrospective database. J Thorac Dis 8:687–695

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks LB, Yorke ED, Jackson A et al (2010) Use of normal tissue complication probability models in the clinic. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 76:S10–S19

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx A, Chan JKC, Coindre J-M et al (2015) The 2015 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the thymus: continuity and changes. J Thorac Oncol 10:1383–1395

    Google Scholar 

  • Masaoka A, Monden Y, Nakahara K, Tanioka T (1981) Follow-up study of thymomas with special reference to their clinical stages. Cancer 48:2485–2492

    Google Scholar 

  • Mornex F, Resbeut M, Richaud P et al (1995) Radiotherapy and chemotherapy for invasive thymomas: a multicentric retrospective review of 90 cases. The FNCLCC trialists. Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 32:651–659

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakagawa K, Takahashi S, Endo M, Ohde Y, Kurihara H, Terauchi T (2017) Can (18)F-FDG PET predict the grade of malignancy in thymic epithelial tumors? An evaluation of only resected tumors. Cancer Manag Res 9:761–768

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakahara K, Ohno K, Hashimoto J et al (1988) Thymoma: results with complete resection and adjuvant postoperative irradiation in 141 consecutive patients. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 95:1041–1047

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa K, Uno T, Toita T et al (2002) Postoperative radiotherapy for patients with completely resected thymoma: a multi-institutional, retrospective review of 103 patients. Cancer 94:1405–1413

    Google Scholar 

  • Omasa M, Date H, Sozu T et al (2015) Postoperative radiotherapy is effective for thymic carcinoma but not for thymoma in stage II and III thymic epithelial tumors: the Japanese Association for Research on the Thymus Database Study. Cancer 121:1008–1016

    Google Scholar 

  • Park IK, Kim YT, Jeon JH et al (2013) Importance of lymph node dissection in thymic carcinoma. Ann Thorac Surg 96:1025–32; discussion 32

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearse G (2006) Normal structure, function and histology of the thymus. Toxicol Pathol 34:504–514

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollack A, Komaki R, Cox JD et al (1992) Thymoma: treatment and prognosis. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 23:1037–1043

    Google Scholar 

  • Rimner A, Yao X, Huang J et al (2016) Postoperative radiation therapy is associated with longer overall survival in completely resected stage II and III thymoma-an analysis of the International Thymic Malignancies Interest Group Retrospective Database. J Thorac Oncol 11:1785–1792

    Google Scholar 

  • Roach M III, DeSilvio M, Lawton C et al (2003) Phase III trial comparing whole-pelvic versus prostate-only radiotherapy and neoadjuvant versus adjuvant combined androgen suppression: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9413. J Clin Oncol 21:1904–1911

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruffini E, Detterbeck F, Van Raemdonck D et al (2014) Tumours of the thymus: a cohort study of prognostic factors from the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 46:361–368

    Google Scholar 

  • Safieddine N, Liu G, Cuningham K et al (2014) Prognostic factors for cure, recurrence and long-term survival after surgical resection of thymoma. J Thorac Oncol 9:1018–1022

    Google Scholar 

  • Singhal S, Shrager JB, Rosenthal DI, LiVolsi VA, Kaiser LR (2003) Comparison of stages I-II thymoma treated by complete resection with or without adjuvant radiation. Ann Thorac Surg 76:1635–1641; discussion 1641–1642

    Google Scholar 

  • Song SH, Suh JW, Yu WS et al (2020) The role of postoperative radiotherapy in stage II and III thymoma: a Korean multicenter database study. J Thorac Dis 12:6680–6689

    Google Scholar 

  • Strobel P, Bauer A, Puppe B et al (2004) Tumor recurrence and survival in patients treated for thymomas and thymic squamous cell carcinomas: a retrospective analysis. J Clin Oncol 22:1501–1509

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomaszek S, Wigle DA, Keshavjee S, Fischer S (2009) Thymomas: review of current clinical practice. Ann Thorac Surg 87:1973–1980

    Google Scholar 

  • Utsumi T, Shiono H, Kadota Y et al (2009) Postoperative radiation therapy after complete resection of thymoma has little impact on survival. Cancer 115:5413–5420

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou D, Deng XF, Liu QX, Zheng H, Min JX, Dai JG (2016) The effectiveness of postoperative radiotherapy in patients with completely resected thymoma: a meta-analysis. Ann Thorac Surg 101:305–310

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu G, He S, Fu X, Jiang G, Liu T (2004) Radiotherapy and prognostic factors for thymoma: a retrospective study of 175 patients. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 60:1113–1119

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

    Gokhan Ozyigit & Pervin Hurmuz

Authors
  1. Gokhan Ozyigit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pervin Hurmuz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gokhan Ozyigit .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Branislav Jeremić

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Ozyigit, G., Hurmuz, P. (2022). Thymic Cancer. In: Jeremić, B. (eds) Advances in Radiation Oncology in Lung Cancer. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2022_332

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2022_332

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-34846-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-34847-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation