Thymic epithelial tumors are a rare group of malignancies originating in the thymus gland, that includes thymoma and thymic carcinoma. Among these, thymic carcinoma is the more aggressive subtype, characterized by high invasiveness, metastatic potential, and poor prognosis. With an incidence of just 0.15 cases per 100,000 person-years, its rarity poses significant challenges for treatment development. While platinum-based chemotherapy remains the current standard of care, its efficacy is limited. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promise in pretreated cases, but durable and effective systemic therapies for chemotherapy-naïve patients remain a critical unmet need.
To address this, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Takehito Shukuya from the Department of Respiratory Medicine,…