ReviewMediastinum (Hong Kong, China)2026
Atypical type A thymoma: a narrative review of a distinct and progressive variant of low-risk thymoma.
Review in Mediastinum (Hong Kong, China), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Objective: Atypical type A thymoma is a rare subtype of thymoma recently recognized for its more progressive clinical course and biological behavior, in contrast to the conventionally indolent course and favorable prognosis of conventional type A thymoma. Histologically, atypical type A thymoma retains the spindle or oval epithelial cell morphology of the conventional type, but is characterized by atypical features such as increased mitotic counts, hypercellularity, and focal necrosis, which are generally absent in the conventional type. This review integrates the latest knowledge on clinicopathological features, diagnostic criteria, and treatment. Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed for articles in English published between January 1990 and July 2025. We included case reports, case series, and original studies with comprehensive clinicopathological and survival data for atypical type A thymomas. Key Content and Findings: We identified 67 cases of atypical type A thymoma in 16 case reports/series and two original reports that specifically mentioned detailed information for each case. Recurrence was observed in 27.3% of patients, predominantly manifesting as distant metastasis to sites such as the lungs, the rib/chest wall, and brain, a rate notably higher than that observed in conventional type A and AB thymomas. In contrast, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 91.9%, indicating a prognosis closer to that of conventional type A and AB thymomas than to type B2-B3 thymomas. Its proliferative capacity, indicated by a median Ki-67 index of 10-14.5%, is closer to that of type B3 thymoma or thymic carcinoma (TC). Conclusions: Since current studies on metastatic type A thymomas often mix conventional and atypical cases, further case accumulation and the establishment of strict, standardized pathological criteria are crucial for a clearer understanding of this rare but potentially progressive tumor and for refining long-term follow-up and treatment strategies. Moreover, the relationship between metastatic and atypical type A thymomas needs to be clarified.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.