Tumors of thymus gland are rare and account for 0.2% to 1.5% of all the neoplasms. They constitute a heterogeneous group that has an unknown etiology and a complex as well as varied biology. This has led to difficulty in their histological classification and in predicting their prognostic and survival markers. Among them, thymic carcinoma is the most aggressive thymic epithelial tumor exhibitin...

The classification of thymic epithelial neoplasms has been a controversial topic for many years. Recent advances in diagnostic methods and renewed interest in the biology of these tumors has led to efforts by investigators to shed new light on their biologic behavior and to offer novel perspectives on these unusual neoplasms. Several new classification schemes have been proposed, including the ...

Thymomas are uncommon neoplasms that arise from epithelial cells of the thymus and are often associated with myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibodies directed to different targets at the neuromuscular junction. Little is known, however, concerning epigenetic changes occurring in thymomas from MG individuals. To further address this issue, we analyzed DNA met...

BACKGROUND Cell surface glycoproteins of the CD44 family play roles in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Their aberrant expression has been implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis of a variety of neoplasms, but not, to date, of thymic epithelial tumors. METHODS To investigate the expression of CD44 molecules, immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies against human CD4...

Representing a mere 2-5% of the total thymic malignancies and 0.4% of total carcinoid tumors, primary thymic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are the zebras of the thymic neoplasms. They were initially characterized as 'epithelial thymomas'; later, the term carcinoid tumors was coined by Rosai and Higa. These tumors are highly unpredictable in their presentation and prognosis. Coupled with variable...

Thymoma is a rare tumor derived from thymus epithelial cells and occurs mostly in patients between 40 and 60 years old with slight male predominance. Thymomas account for less than 1% of the human neoplasms. They are rare in children and young adults [1]. Fine needle aspiration cytology of thymic epithelial neoplasms remains an underutilized method of sampling mediastinal masses. A cytologic di...

OBJECTIVES Thymic carcinomas have wide ranges of reported survival. Interobserver agreement on diagnosis might affect prognostical studies. Clinicopathological features of thymic carcinomas were compared with thymic epithelial neoplasms in which pathologists disagreed upon. METHODS Patients treated with thymic epithelial neoplasms were reviewed. Three thoracic pathologists independently class...