The following tests and procedures may be used to detect (find) thymoma or thymic carcinoma:
- Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient's health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
- Chest x-ray: An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.
- CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, such as the chest, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, such as the chest. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).1
Thymoma and thymic carcinoma are usually diagnosed, staged, and treated during surgery.
A biopsy of the tumor is done to diagnose the disease. The biopsy may be done before or during surgery, using a thin needle to remove a sample of cells. This is called a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. A pathologist will view the sample under a microscope to check for cancer. If thymoma or thymic carcinoma is diagnosed, the pathologist will determine the type of cancer cell in the tumor. There may be more than one type of cancer cell in a thymoma. The surgeon will decide if all or part of the tumor can be removed by surgery. In some cases, lymph nodes and other tissues may be removed as well.
Tests done to detect thymoma or thymic carcinoma are also used to stage the disease.
Staging is the process used to find out if cancer has spread from the thymus to other parts of the body. The findings made during surgery and the results of tests and procedures are used to determine the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment.
The following stages are used for thymoma:
Noninvasive thymoma (stage I)
In stage I, cancer is found only within the thymus. All cancer cells are inside the capsule (sac) that surrounds the thymus.
Invasive thymoma (stage II, stage III, and stage IV)
Invasive thymoma includes stage II, stage III, and stage IV.
- In stage II, cancer has spread through the capsule and into the fat around the thymus or into the lining of the chest cavity.
- In stage III, cancer has spread to nearby organs in the chest, including the lung, the sac around the heart, or large blood vessels that carry blood to the heart.
- Stage IV is divided into stage IVA and stage IVB, depending on where the cancer has spread.
- In stage IVA, cancer has spread widely around the lungs and heart.
- In stage IVB, cancer has spread to the blood or lymph system.
Thymic carcinomas have usually spread to other parts of the body when diagnosed.
The staging system used for thymomas is sometimes used for thymic carcinomas.
1 Note: The text and images above are in the public domain and were reproduced or adapted from the websites of the National Cancer Institute (NCI): http://www.cancer.gov/ and http://visualsonline.cancer.gov/.