Well-differentiated thymic carcinoma: a clinico-pathological study |
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Authors: | Edoardo Pescarmona Stefano Rosati Erino A Rendina Federico Venuta Carlo D Baroni |
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Institution: | (1) II Cattedra di Anatomia ed Istologia Patologica, Sezione di Immunopatologia, Dipartimento di Biopatologia Umana, Policlinico Umberto I, Viale Regina Elena, 234, I-00161 Rome, Italy;(2) Cattedra di Chirurgia Toracica, Università degli Studi di Roma, La Sapienza, Rome, Italy |
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Abstract: | Summary Well-differentiated thymic carcinoma (WDTC) is a recently described epithelial tumour of the thymus previously classified
as cortical or predominantly epithelial thymoma. The authors have reviewed a series of 15 cases of WDTC with the aim of further
defining the clinicopathological features of this neoplasm. Histologically, the number of lymphocytes was always low; perivascular
spaces and epithelial palisading around blood vessels and/or along fibrous septa were prominent features; 6 cases (40%) were
associated with areas of typical cortical thymoma. All cases showed slight to moderate cytological atypia and nuclear grooving
was frequently detected. Mitotic activity was variable but usually low. Clinically, all but 3 cases (80%) were invasive at
surgery; myasthenia gravis was present in 9 cases (60%); 5 patients (33.3%) died due to disease and 2 additional patients
(13.3%) had tumor recurrence. Our study indicates that WDTC has fairly distinctive clinicopathological features and that it
is histologically and histogenetically related to cortical thymoma. The definition “well-differentiated carcinoma” is justified
because of low-grade cytological atypia and retention of some organotypical histological features, in a tumour otherwise often
displaying aggressive and sometimes clear-cut malignant clinical behaviour. |
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Keywords: | Thymus Thymoma Thymic carcinoma Well-differentiated thymic carcinoma |
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