Dear Colleagues,

Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) represent a heterogeneous group of epithelial-derived neoplasms with diverse clinical behavior and underlying molecular biology. Their classification has long been discussed among pathologists due to uncertainty in the identification of neoplastic epithelial cells in the background of thymocytes, and to their rare occurrence. They are broadly classified into thymomas and thymic carcinomas, based mainly on the relative proportion of the neoplastic epithelial cells to the non-neoplastic lymphoid component. Owing to their rare nature, the molecular classification of TETs has only recently begun to be explored.

Currently, early-stage thymic epithelial tumors are treated with surgical resection. For patients with advanced-stage or incomplete resected tumors, there is a necessity for adjuvant therapy, now consisting of platinum-based chemotherapy. The difficulties in TET treatment derive from their still largely unknown biology and pathogenetic mechanisms, and from the rarity of expert centers and lack of standardized treatments. A framework of expert multidisciplinary teams and of international networks is necessary in order to progress in our understanding and better deal with these rare tumors.

We hereby invite contributions to this Special Issue of Biomedicines  describing novel molecular alterations underlying the pathobiology of TETs, possibly influencing epithelial cell growth and survival. In addition, manuscripts discussing developments in diagnostics or therapeutics for TET are also encouraged. We invite researchers and clinicians to submit original research articles and comprehensive review articles on the topic highlighted in this Special Issue of Biomedicines.

Dr. Georgia Levidou
Prof. Dr. Stamatios E. Theocharis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.