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Cancers
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Advances in Thymic Tumors
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Advances in Thymic Tumors

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 January 2023) | Viewed by 4120

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Stefan Porubský

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
Interests: thymus; thymoma; T cell development; lymphoma

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thymus represents an organ with a remarkable spectrum of neoplastic diseases that derive from its epithelial, lymphatic, and mesenchymal components. Moreover, due to the crucial role of the thymic epithelium in the development of T lymphocytes, many epithelial tumors are accompanied by autoimmune disorders, the prototypical one being the thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis.

The scope of this Special Issue includes but is not limited to pathogenesis, molecular characterization, and therapy of thymic epithelial and lymphatic tumors. Welcome are also manuscripts dealing with autoimmune diseases accompanying thymic tumors.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Porubský
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thymus
  • thymoma
  • thymic carcinoma
  • lymphoma
  • autoimmunity
  • myasthenia gravis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 15381 KiB  
Article
DNA-Methylation Analysis as a Tool for Thymoma Classification
by Timo Gaiser, Daniela Hirsch, Isabel Porth, Felix Sahm, Philipp Ströbel, Andreas von Deimling and Alexander Marx
Cancers 2022, 14(23), 5876; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14235876 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1278
Abstract
Background: Thymomas are malignant thymic epithelial tumors that are difficult to diagnose due to their rarity and complex diagnostic criteria. They represent a morphologically heterogeneous class of tumors mainly defined by “organo-typical” architectural features and cellular composition. The diagnosis of thymoma is burdened [...] Read more.
Background: Thymomas are malignant thymic epithelial tumors that are difficult to diagnose due to their rarity and complex diagnostic criteria. They represent a morphologically heterogeneous class of tumors mainly defined by “organo-typical” architectural features and cellular composition. The diagnosis of thymoma is burdened with a high level of inter-observer variability and the problem that some type-specific morphological alterations are more on the continuum than clear-cut. Methylation pattern-based classification may help to increase diagnostic precision, particularly in borderline cases. Methods and Results: We applied array-based DNA methylation analysis to a set of 113 thymomas with stringent histological annotation. Unsupervised clustering and t-SNE analysis of DNA methylation data clearly segregated thymoma samples mainly according to the current WHO classification into A, AB, B1, B2, B2/B3, B3, and micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma. However, methylation analyses separated the histological subgroups AB and B2 into two methylation classes: mono-/bi-phasic AB-thymomas and conventional/“B1-like” B2-thymomas. Copy number variation analysis demonstrated methylation class-specific patterns of chromosomal alterations. Interpretation: Our study demonstrates that the current WHO classification is generally well reflected at the methylation level but suggests that B2- and AB-thymomas are (epi)genetically heterogeneous. Methylation-based classifications could help to refine diagnostic criteria for thymoma classification, improve reproducibility, and may affect treatment decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thymic Tumors)
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18 pages, 1160 KiB  
Article
Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing of Thymic Epithelial Tumours Revealed Pathogenic Variants in KIT, ERBB2, KRAS, and TP53 in 30% of Thymic Carcinomas
by Adam Szpechcinski, Malgorzata Szolkowska, Sebastian Winiarski, Urszula Lechowicz, Piotr Wisniewski and Magdalena Knetki-Wroblewska
Cancers 2022, 14(14), 3388; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14143388 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2501
Abstract
A better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) could revolutionise their treatment. We evaluated thymomas and thymic carcinomas by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of somatic or germline single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in genes commonly mutated in solid tumours. In total, [...] Read more.
A better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) could revolutionise their treatment. We evaluated thymomas and thymic carcinomas by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of somatic or germline single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in genes commonly mutated in solid tumours. In total, 19 thymomas and 34 thymic carcinomas were analysed for nonsynonymous SNVs in 15 genes by targeted NGS (reference genome: hg19/GRCh37). Ten SNVs in TP53 (G154V, R158P, L194H, R267fs, R273C, R306 *, Q317 *), ERBB2 (V773M), KIT (L576P), and KRAS (Q61L) considered somatic and pathogenic/likely pathogenic were detected in 10 of 34 (29.4%) thymic carcinomas. No somatic SNVs confirmed as pathogenic/likely pathogenic were found in thymomas. Rare SNVs of uncertain or unknown functional and clinical significance, to our knowledge not reported previously in TETs, were found in ERBB2 (S703R), KIT (I690V), and FOXL2 (P157S) in 3 of 19 (16%) thymomas. The most frequent germline SNVs were TP53 P72R (94% TETs), ERBB2 I655V (40% TETs), and KIT M541L (9% TETs). No significant difference in median disease-free survival (DFS) was found between thymic carcinoma patients with and without pathogenic SNVs (p = 0.190); however, a trend toward a longer DFS was observed in the latter (16.0 vs. 30.0 months, respectively). In summary, NGS analysis of TETs revealed several SNVs in genes related to the p53, AKT, MAPK, and K-Ras signalling pathways. Thymic carcinomas showed greater genetic dysregulation than thymomas. The germline and rare SNVs of uncertain clinical significance reported in this study add to the number of known genetic alterations in TETs, thus extending our molecular understanding of these neoplasms. Druggable KIT alterations in thymic carcinomas have potential as therapeutic targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thymic Tumors)
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