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Thymic Neoplasm

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The Mediastinal Mass

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Pathology ((CCPATH))

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Abstract

The variety of tumors originating in the thymus partially reflects the main cellular types present in the organ, i.e., epithelial and lymphoid cells. However, in the anterior mediastinum along with the thymus, several other structures and ectopic tissues are located, giving rise to a variety of other tumors. The clinical, pathological, and genetic features of thymic epithelial tumors are described, together with the key imaging features supporting the diagnosis. A review of current surgical options is provided, as well as current chemotherapeutic and targeted agent treatment options. The added value of international networks (ERN, European reference networks) is discussed with respect to patient care.

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Acknowledgments

The authors want to thank Pr G. Palmieri (Naples, Italy) for her longstanding collaboration and Dr. Enzo Gallo for his photographical and editorial overview.

The authors are also grateful to Dr. T. Merlino for English language editing.

No funding was received for this work.

Conflict of Interest Statement

MM, FF, YS, and GA declare no conflict of interest. Nicolas Girard has received research support and travel grants from Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD, and Pfizer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy

    Mirella Marino

  2. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Facciolo & Gabriele Alessandrini

  3. Department of Radiology, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Yan Shen

  4. University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon, Lyon, France

    Nicolas Girard

  5. Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France

    Nicolas Girard

  6. Institut du Thorax Curie Montsouris, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Nicolas Girard

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  5. Nicolas Girard
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Correspondence to Mirella Marino .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physic Health and Preventive Medicine, Università della Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Naples, Italy

    Renato Franco

  2. Pathology Unit, Department of Mental and Physic Health and Preventive Medicine, Università della Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Naples, Italy

    Federica Zito Marino

  3. Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research, Temple University Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Antonio Giordano

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Marino, M., Facciolo, F., Shen, Y., Alessandrini, G., Girard, N. (2018). Thymic Neoplasm. In: Franco, R., Zito Marino, F., Giordano, A. (eds) The Mediastinal Mass. Current Clinical Pathology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90368-2_9

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