There two main types of Thymic tumors are thymomas and Thymic carcinomas. Before we get into detail about the these, and others, let’s answer the first question patients ask.
Right off the bat, Thymic carcinoma IS cancer.
Now for thymoma. Some patients are told that thymomas are benign and indolent. But let’s hear how the government’s own SEER database categorizes them.
Nearly all thymomas are reportable as malignant. (Other than microscopic thymoma or clearly encapsulated thymoma, and a couple of other small exceptions.)
Malignant means it is or has the potential to grow, recur, become invasive with other organs and structures, or metastasize to other places in the body.
But hold on! The key word here is “potential” and that means it depends a great deal on the type and stage of the thymoma. Certainly many are in that microscopic and encapsulated category. So let’s learn more about this on the next page.