Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Thymic Epithelial Tumors Based on Molecular Biomarkers

Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), including thymoma and thymic carcinoma, are rare malignant tumors. The mainstay of treatment patients with TET is surgical resection, and chemotherapy is necessary for patients with tumor invasion or metastasis who are unable to undergo complete radical excision. However, for those patients who are resistant to chemotherapy, targeted therapy has become the most popular tumor treatment program, as well as for thymic tumors. Many genes implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis have also been reported to be therapeutic targets in thymic malignancies. A significant advance in TET treatment may derive from the identification of novel molecular biomarkers that can improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of tumors. We review a number of case reports and small clinical trials reporting that a few inhibitors, such as sorafenib and sunitinib, are effective in the treatment of thymoma. In this review, we describe the current potential drug targets and their roles in the development of thymic malignancy.