Thymic carcinoma: current and future therapeutic interventions

Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs
Glen J Weiss

Abstract

Since first reported just over 30 years ago, some progress has been made in our understanding of thymic cancer - an extremely rare cancer - and how to treat it. However, we are far from the ultimate goal of cure for most patients. This review provides an overview of the thymic gland's development; features of thymic carcinoma, including its molecular characterization, current staging, and treatment guidelines; and progress made to date for treating advanced disease, concluding with future directions and prospects. As scientists apply new molecular tools to learn more about cancer, we find that even among common cancers, there exist heterogeneous subtypes necessitating different treatment paradigms. Thus, a one-size-fits-all approach to cancer treatment is being displaced with precision medicine to target the 'Achilles heel' of thymic tumors. When approaching thymic carcinoma, we must identify the key driving forces to target its context(s) of vulnerability to ensure the greatest impact of treatment for patients with this extremely rare cancer.

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