Treatment depends on the type and stage of your cancer, and can include one or more of the following therapies
- Surgery. An operation to remove thymus gland is the standard treatment for early-stage thymus cancer. You may also have lymph nodes and portions of the lung lining removed if the cancer has spread there. This type of operation requires the skill of a highly specialized thoracic surgeon who focuses on cancer.
Our team of thoracic surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques such as robotic surgery or video-assisted thoracic surgery whenever possible. These techniques typically result in less pain, faster recovery, shorter hospital stay, and quicker return to normal activities. - Radiation therapy. This treatment uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. This therapy may be used in combination with surgery and cancer drugs. Your radiation oncologist will determine the best type of radiation therapy for you.
- Cancer drugs. Medical therapy uses different types of cancer drugs to attack the cancer cells. These treatments are called systemic because they travel throughout your body system. Some of the drug types your care team may select for you include:
- Chemotherapy. These drugs focus on killing cells that are growing quickly, like cancer cells. You may have chemotherapy before and/or after surgery or if your tumor can’t be removed with surgery.
- Targeted therapy. These drugs are designed to target unique characteristics such as a protein or genetic mutation found only on the cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy. This class of drugs works to trigger or amplify your own immune system, so it’s better able to identify and destroy cancer cells.