Targeted therapy for thymic epithelial tumors: a new horizon? Review of the literature and two cases reports

Abstract

Surgical resection remains the cornerstone of therapy for early-stage thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), while in advanced or recurrent forms, a multimodality approach incorporating radiation and chemotherapy is required. Given the absence of effective treatment options for metastatic/refractory TETs and the poor related prognosis, there is a compelling need to identify promising 'drugable' molecular targets. Initial reports of activity from targeted agents in TETs derived from anecdotal cases have been often associated with specific activating mutations. Only in recent years, several agents have been formally investigated into prospective clinical trials, with varying success rates. We reviewed the literature on targeted therapy in TETs along with two cases of thymoma achieving striking responses to sorafenib in combination with lapatinib.

Keywords: cixutumumab; everolimus; sorafenib; sunitinib; targeted therapy; thymic carcinoma; thymic epithelial tumors; thymoma.