Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare intrathoracic malignancies that are categorized histologically according to the WHO classification, which was recently updated in 2015 on the basis of a consensus statement of the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG); at the same time, the standard Masaoka-Koga staging system is scheduled to be replaced by the eighth edition of the TNM staging classification by the American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control consortium. Our objectives were to analyze the feasibility of assessing ITMIG consensus major and minor morphological and immunohistochemical criteria and the eighth edition of the TNM staging classification in a routine practice setting. ⋯ Comprehensive analysis of our well-characterized surgical series of 188 TETs indicates the feasibility and the diagnostic value of the ITMIG consensus statement on WHO histological classification and highlights the major switch in staging when the eighth edition of the TNM staging classification is applied.