Thymic basaloid carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of thymic basaloid carcinoma in a 65-yr-old man who presented with symptoms referable to the mass effect of the tumor. The tumor arose in association with a multilocular thymic cyst and microscopically was characterized by islands, nests, and cords of basaloid cells. The tumor cells demonstrated prominent palisading around most of the neoplastic islands and nests. The tumor was excised, and there was no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease in the 6-mo follow-up period. Including the current case, seven cases of basaloid thymic carcinoma have been reported in the English literature, four of which (57%) were associated with a multiloculated thymic cyst. Follow-up was available on three patients. Although no patient has died of tumor, pulmonary metastases developed in two patients. Although basaloid thymic carcinoma is currently considered a tumor of low-grade histology, more cases need to be studied to determine the long-term prognosis of these tumors.