Thymus Cancer

Overview and Facts about Thymus Cancer

Thymus cancer is an abnormal growth on the thymus, which is a small organ that sits in the top part of your chest below your breastbone.

The thymus produces white blood cells that are responsible for fighting off infections. Thymus cancer is extremely rare and can come in a few different forms:

• Thymomas or thymic carcinomas, which are tumors that form out of the cells that give the thymus its shape and structure
• Carcinoid tumors, which form from cells in the thymus that release hormones
• Hodgkin disease or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which involve the cells that make up the majority of the thymus

Symptoms and Signs of Thymus Cancer

Thymus cancer doesn’t always produce a lot of symptoms. In fact, many patients don’t know they have a tumor until they have a chest X-ray for another condition. Some symptoms you might experience include:

• Problems breathing
• Pain in the chest
• A long-term cough (which might involve coughing up blood)
• Weight loss
• Not feeling hungry

Tests and Diagnosis of Thymus Cancer

To get the best diagnosis, you should consult an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor, or ENT) specializing in cancer. The doctor will perform a full physical exam and history to see if something else might be causing your symptoms.

Then the doctor will perform one or more of the following tests to get a better look at what’s happening inside your body:

• A CT scan to look at the inside of the chest from different angles.
• An X-ray to look at the organs and bones of the chest.
• A PET scan, which uses a special injection to make cancer cells appear in the image.
• An MRI to get detailed pictures of the chest.

Causes and Risk Factors of Thymus Cancer

Thymus cancer happens when the DNA in the cells of the thymus begins to mutate. While doctors aren’t exactly sure what causes this to happen, they do know thymus cancer is linked to several other diseases.

For example, if you have an autoimmune disease, you have a greater chance of also developing a thymus tumor.

Other risk factors for thymus cancer include:

• Being older, as it’s most commonly diagnosed in people in their 70s
• Being Pacific Islander or Asian

Treatment and Care for Thymus Cancer

There are three main treatments for thymus cancer: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Sometimes, these are combined for the most effective results.

• In surgery, your doctor will try to remove as much of the tumor as possible. The doctor may also remove the entire thymus gland, a process which is called a thymectomy.
  
  
  
  
• Radiation therapy involves using high-energy beams to directly target and kill cancer cells. This is often used after surgery to get rid of any lingering cells.
  
  
  
  
• Chemotherapy is a medicine that kills certain cancer cells, and it can be delivered orally or by injection. Sometimes, chemotherapy is used before surgery to shrink the tumor.