title: Current chemotherapy options for thymic epithelial neoplasms.
abstract: Thymomas and thymic carcinoma are rare neoplasms. Surgical resection is the cornerstone of effective therapy. Stage I disease is effectively treated by complete surgical resection. The role of radiation therapy in completely resected stage II disease remains controversial. Adjuvant radiation therapy is useful for local control and may improve survival in patients with incompletely resected tumours. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens play an important role in the treatment of advanced stage III/IV or recurrent disease thymomas, but have proven less effective for thymic carcinoma. Phase II trials of multimodality therapy incorporating neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and postoperative radiation therapy show promise for unresectable disease. This review discusses recent clinical data and the potential role for agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor, angiogenesis and apoptotic pathways.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Therapy and Research Center, Institute for Drug Development, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
authors.forename: Kyriakos P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013945:Thymoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D013004:Somatostatin; D004317:Doxorubicin; D002945:Cisplatin; D011241:Prednisone