title: [Thymus cancers: A clinical observation].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thymic tumors including thymomas, thymic carcinomas, and thymic carcinoid tumors are rare tumors with an incidence of 0.13/100,000.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was performed to identify recent findings on epidemiology, classification, and various therapeutic approaches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These tumors with a wide spectrum of histologic and biologic features may be clinically unapparent for a long time or show a very aggressive behavior with local invasion and distant metastases. Surgical resection is the mainstay in stage I and II thymomas, whereas in stage III thymomas and in thymomas with pleural dissemination surgery in context of a multimodal treatment should be discussed. Thymic tumors are chemoreactive. Targeted therapies show poor results and should only be considered in the palliative situation after failure of chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The new TNM (T: tumor, N: node, M: metastasis) classification of thymic tumors will help to identify the best treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Onkologie, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, Amalienstraße 5, 69126, Heidelberg, Deutschland. heidrun.grosch@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Grosch
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Chirurgie, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Pathologie, Universitätsklinikum Mannheim, Mannheim, Deutschland.
authors.forename: C-A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Weis
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Onkologie, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg, Amalienstraße 5, 69126, Heidelberg, Deutschland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013934:Thymectomy; D013945:Thymoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Carcinoma, thymic; Myasthenia gravis; Paraneoplastic syndromes; Thymic carcinoid tumor; Thymoma
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