Thymoma & Thymic Carcinoma Diagnosis

At UT MD Anderson, our experts use the most advanced equipment to diagnose thymoma and determine if and where it has spread. They have extensive experience diagnosing all types of thymoma, including rare forms of the disease. The chances for successful thymoma treatment are much higher if the cancer is caught early and diagnosed accurately.

If you have symptoms that signal thymus cancer, your doctor will examine you and ask you questions about your health, lifestyle and your family medical history.

However, thymus cancer often does not have symptoms in the early stages. In fact, many cases are discovered incidentally, such as in a chest X-ray taken for another condition.

Experience counts

Thymus cancers are rare, so they can be difficult to diagnose. Pathologists at UT MD Anderson have special expertise in diagnosing these cancers. Having an accurate diagnosis from the start can help doctors plan the best possible treatment plan.

The following tests are used to diagnose thymoma and thymic carcinoma or monitor the body’s response to treatment.

Imaging exams

Imaging exams are used to look for cancer inside the body. They can help locate tumors and track how the body is responding to treatment. There are many types of imaging exams. These can be used to generate an image of the thymus and to see if the cancer has spread to different parts of the body.

• Chest X-ray: X-rays use low doses of high-energy radiation that travel through the body to create an image. X-rays are used to image bone and can also help spot possible tumors. Chest X-rays are typically the first imaging exam used to help diagnose thymus cancer.
• CT scan: A CT scan uses an X-ray machine to take several pictures from different angles. These are combined to create a highly detailed image that can confirm the presence of a tumor.
• PET scan: During a positron emission tomography scan, or PET scan, a small dose of radiolabeled sugar is injected into a patient. A scanner shows where the body distributes the sugar, allowing for the creation of an image. Cancer cells consume more of this sugar than healthy cells, so this image can help doctors find cancer throughout the body. This is a routine test for determining the cancer’s stage.
• MRI scan: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, uses magnetic fields and radio waves to generate pictures of the body’s soft tissue and organs. Doctors use MRIs to look for the spread of cancer to the brain.

Learn more about imaging exams.

Biopsy

In a biopsy, tissue from the suspected cancer is obtained and studied under a microscope for the presence of cancer cells. For thymoma and thymic carcinoma, the biopsy may be performed by a doctor using a live image to guide a needle to the site of growth. This needle is used to obtain a tissue sample.  Other times, doctors may need to perform surgery to get a tissue sample.

Blood tests

These tests cannot diagnose thymus cancer, but they can help doctors understand the patient’s symptoms, including if thymoma is causing an autoimmune condition such as myasthenia gravis. The tests can also be used to monitor the patient’s overall health and how they are responding to treatment.