Matteo Perrino, Emanuele Voulaz, Simone Balin, Gerardo Cazzato, Elena Fontana, Sara Franzese, Martina Defendi, Fabio De Vincenzo, Nadia Cordua, Roberto Tamma, Federica Borea, Marta Aliprandi, Marco Airoldi, Luigi Giovanni Cecchi, Roberta Fazio, Marco Alloisio, Giuseppe Marulli, Armando Santoro, Luca Di Tommaso, Giuseppe Ingravallo, Laura Russo, Giorgio Da Rin, Anna Villa, Silvia Della Bella, Paolo Andrea Zucali, Domenico Mavilio
Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare mediastinal cancers originating from the thymus, classified in two main histotypes: thymoma and thymic carcinoma (TC). TETs affect a primary lymphoid organ playing a critical role in keeping T-cell homeostasis and ensuring an adequate immunological tolerance against "self". In particular, thymomas and not TC are frequently associated with autoimmune diseases (ADs), with Myasthenia Gravis being the most common AD present in 30% of patients with thymoma. This comorbidity, in addition to negatively affecting the quality and duration of patients' life, reduces the spectrum of the available therapeutic options...
2024: Frontiers in Immunology