[Medical treatment for thymoma: an update]

Stage of disease at diagnosis and histologic type according to WHO classification are the most important prognostic factors for thymoma and complete surgical resection represents a crucial point for disease free survival. When surgery is not feasible, neoadjuvant or palliative chemotherapy, is the most appropriate treatment because of the high chemosensitivity of the thymoma. The role of predictive factors to response of treatment seems relevant: the presence of modifications of tumor related genes and expression of different thymoma cell receptors could allow to identify subsets of patients who can benefit from target therapies, with the aim of optimizing treatments and improving survival.