Current chemotherapy options for thymic epithelial neoplasms

Kyriakos P. Papadopoulos, Charles R. Thomas

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Thymomas and thymic carcinoma are rare neoplasms. Surgical resection is the cornerstone of effective therapy. Stage I disease is effectively treated by complete surgical resection. The role of radiation therapy in completely resected stage II disease remains controversial. Adjuvant radiation therapy is useful for local control and may improve survival in patients with incompletely resected tumours. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens play an important role in the treatment of advanced stage III/IV or recurrent disease thymomas, but have proven less effective for thymic carcinoma. Phase II trials of multimodality therapy incorporating neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and postoperative radiation therapy show promise for unresectable disease. This review discusses recent clinical data and the potential role for agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor, angiogenesis and apoptotic pathways.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1169-1177
Number of pages9
JournalExpert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
Volume6
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chemotherapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Thymic carcinoma
  • Thymoma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacology (medical)

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