Thymic Carcinoma with Overexpression of MutatedKITand the Response to Imatinib

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Abstract
In April 2002, a 54-year-old man presented with thoracic pain and respiratory distress; a mediastinal mass, 7.7 by 6 cm, was found on positron-emission tomographic and computed tomographic scanning. Further examination showed elevated liver-enzyme levels and multiple liver metastases. Liver biopsy revealed metastatic, poorly differentiated epidermoid carcinoma of the thymus,1 with strong KIT expression ( Figure 1 ). The patient started taking imatinib at a dose recommended for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (400 mg per day).2 Within one week, his pain and respiratory distress disappeared. His liver metastases shrank within four months, and his liver-enzyme levels normalized, while the mediastinal tumor showed stable disease.