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New Insights into Thymic Tumors

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 June 2026 | Viewed by 139

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Duisburg, Germany
Interests: thymic cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thymic tumors are a rare entity that can be considered a complex disease. They have recently attracted increasing interest in the scientific community. This Special Issue synthesizes the latest findings on the surgical and oncological landscape, highlighting key advances in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. We focus on emerging biomarkers, the role of surgery and the implications of new systemic treatment. Additionally, we discuss the potential of new advanced imaging techniques in refining diagnosis and treatment strategies. By exploring these recent insights, we aim to shed light on the clinical relevance and therapeutic potential of thymic tumors.

Dr. Till Ploenes
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • thymic tumors
  • thymic carcinoma
  • thymomas
  • new daignostic and therapeutic approaches
  • myasthenia gravis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 10828 KB  
Article
Autophagy-Related Proteins’ Immunohistochemical Expression and Their Potential Role as Biomarkers in Thymic Epithelial Tumors
by Christina Yfanti, Georgia Levidou, Vicky Lampropoulou, Stefania Kokkali, Georgios Mandrakis, Stavros P. Papadakos, Dimitra Rontogianni and Stamatios Theocharis
Cancers 2026, 18(3), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18030357 - 23 Jan 2026
Abstract
Background: Autophagy, a self-destructive cellular mechanism with a paradoxical nature, plays a part in both tumor suppression and induction by providing cancer cells with metabolic substrates, resulting in cell proliferation and survival. In this study, we aim to investigate the clinical significance of [...] Read more.
Background: Autophagy, a self-destructive cellular mechanism with a paradoxical nature, plays a part in both tumor suppression and induction by providing cancer cells with metabolic substrates, resulting in cell proliferation and survival. In this study, we aim to investigate the clinical significance of four autophagy pathway components (BECLIN, p62/, LC3b, ATG3) in pathogenetic mechanisms of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) with possible prognostic importance. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the cytoplasmic expression of BECLIN, p62, LC3b, and ATG3 in tumor cells of 99 TETs, and possible correlations with clinicopathological parameters were examined. Results: Higher BECLIN and p62 expression was associated with male gender (p = 0.027 and p = 0.014, respectively). B3 thymomas and thymic carcinomas (TCs) displayed higher p62 expression (p = 0.019), while LC3b expression was marginally higher in non-B3/TC TETs (p = 0.098). A positive correlation between higher BECLIN expression and advanced Masaoka–Koga stage was also observed (p = 0.009). ATG3 was not associated with any of the investigated clinicopathological parameters (p > 0.05). There was also no significant correlation between any of the four examined molecules and overall survival or relapse. Conclusions: Our findings indicate autophagy activation in B3/TC and advanced Masaoka–Koga stage cases. Further studies are needed to explore the role of these autophagy related proteins as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in TETs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Thymic Tumors)
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