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Thymoma and Thymic Cancer Screening

While there are no recommended screenings for thymic cancer, the team of thoracic specialists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University can help detect it promptly.

Screening for Thymic Cancers

Unlike other diseases and cancers, thymic malignancies — namely, thymoma and thymic carcinoma — are rare and uncommon.

This makes screening for thymic cancer particularly difficult because not much is known about who’s at risk for the disease and which factors cause it. Currently, there are no recommended routine screening tests.

Detecting Thymic Cancer Promptly

Not all thymic tumors cause symptoms, so in many instances, malignancies are first seen during routine exams for other conditions.

  • A tumor in the thymus might be detected incidentally on a chest X-ray or a CT scan that was taken for reasons unrelated to thymic cancer.
  • Some immune system disorders, called paraneoplastic syndromes, have symptoms that, when investigated, could lead to an earlier diagnosis of a thymoma. These syndromes include:
    • Myasthenia gravis. An autoimmune disorder that affects nerves and causes muscle weakness.
    • Hypogammaglobulinemia. An immune system disorder in which not enough antibodies are made to prevent infections.
    • Pure red cell aplasia. A blood disorder in which the bone marrow doesn’t create enough red blood cells, causing anemia.

Prompt Diagnosis Is Key

In the absence of regular screenings for thymoma and thymic carcinoma, catching thymic cancer as early as possible is even more important.

Enter Winship. As a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we combine a team of top-rated thoracic specialists experienced in thymic malignancies with real-world clinical programs to help more patients be diagnosed promptly.

And the discovery of a thymic tumor before it grows outside the thymus leads to improved patient outcomes. The five-year survival rate for patients with thymoma — thymic cancer at the localized stage, meaning it has not spread beyond the thymus — is about 90%. For patients with thymic carcinoma, when the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is closer to 60%.