What are thymoma and thymic carcinoma?
Thymoma and thymic carcinoma are types of rare cancers that grow on thymus. The thymus is a small organ in the upper chest that is part of the lymph system. It makes white blood cells that help the body fight infection.
Even though these cancers both start in the thymus, they behave differently.
Thymoma grows slowly and usually does not spread outside of the thymus. The cancer cells in thymoma look like the normal cells of the thymus. People who have thymoma often have an autoimmune disease, like myasthenia gravis.
Thymic carcinoma tends to grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body. The cancer cells in thymic carcinoma are very different than normal thymus cells.
What are the symptoms of thymoma and thymic carcinoma?
These cancers often cause no symptoms in the early stages. When they do appear, symptoms may include:
- Trouble breathing
- A cough that won’t go away
- Chest pain
How are thymoma and thymic carcinoma treated?
Treatment for these cancers will depend on which condition you have. Treatments may include:
- Surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. This is the most common option to treat thymoma.
- Radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells that are left after surgery and to help keep them from coming back.
- Chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery or help kill any cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body.
- Hormone therapy to block certain hormones and help the cancer stop growing.
- Targeted therapy to attack the cancer cells directly.
What are the risk factors for thymoma and thymic carcinoma?
Experts have not found any specific risk factors for these cancers.