Topics in magnetic resonance imaging : TMRI
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Thymic epithelial neoplasms are malignant lesions that originate from the thymus and include thymoma, thymic carcinoma, and thymic neuroendocrine tumors. Although computed tomography (CT) is typically considered the imaging modality of choice for identifying thymic tumors, characterizing the primary neoplasm, and staging of disease, the role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging continues to expand. ⋯ Recently, an official, consistent tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system has been recognized by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), based on an analysis of a retrospective database performed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG). In this article, we discuss the appropriate utilization of MR imaging in the evaluation of patients with thymic epithelial neoplasms, key imaging features of the tumors, and the impact of imaging findings on overall staging.