Current Drug Targets for Thymic Neoplasms

Thymic neoplasms are rare malignant tumors, and the mainstay of treatment for patients with thymic tumors is surgical resection. Chemotherapy is necessary for patients with extensive tumor invasion or metastasis who are unable to undergo complete radical excision. However, only two-thirds of these patients respond to chemotherapy. For those patients who are resistant to chemotherapy, targeted therapy has been proposed as a beneficial alternative. Many genes implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis have been demonstrated to be therapeutic targets in thymic malignancies. Currently, a number of case reports and small clinical trials have reported that a few inhibitors, such as sorafenib and sunitinib, are effective for the treatment of thymoma. This review describes the current potential drug targets and their roles in the development of thymic malignancy. Drugs that are used for the targeted therapy of thymoma and the results of related clinical trials are addressed. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the screening of specific patients who are suitable for targeted therapy and the efficacy of targeted therapy in patients with refractory or recurrent thymic tumors.