Physician Services
For Physicians Treating Patients
If you are a physician treating one of your first thymic cancer patients, then you no doubt are looking for resources to help you make diagnostic and treatment decisions. You might also be seeking references to help you discuss thymic cancer with your patient and a reference source to refer your patient to for further information and support.
- Please let your patient know of this website and of the Foundation’s Forum in Yahoo.
- Contact us to request literature for your patient and/or their family.
- Use this link College of American Pathologists Protocol for Thymic Tumors to access an important document that reflects the current thought on the pathologic classification, staging, and diagnosis of thymic tumors. Please consider sharing this report with your institution’s pathology department if it did not provide you with classification information.
- Access the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology section on Thymic Malignancies.
- Refer to the Research Library to access studies and other literature.
- Patient Stories includes anecdotal records of patient cases.
- The Foundation maintains a Thymic Patient Contact Registry. Please encourage your patients to take part in the registry.
- The Foundation has partnered with the NDRI to maintain a tissue bank for thymic neoplasms. Please consider asking your patient to donate tissue to the NDRI.
- The Foundation is underwriting the development of international consortia to serve as the professional leadership group for thymic disease. If you are interested in joining the consortia, or in contacting members of the consortia, please contact Janice Katz at jkatz@thymic.org or see the consortia website at www.gcstm.org
If you need any information, please contact the Foundation at 609-214-8616, or by email at info@thymic.org.
For Researchers
If you are a researcher currently conducting or considering conducting a research project on thymic neoplasms, the Foundation can help in several ways. Contact Janice Katz at at jkatz@thymic.org.
- Access to tissue samples. While the Foundation has partnered with the NDRI to maintain a tissue bank for thymic neoplasms, there are several other tissue collections and resources available to researchers. The Foundation will be able to match your needs to the proper resources.
- Access to patients. The Thymic Patient Contact Registry provides information regarding patients who might be suitable for case studies and trials.
- International and Institutional Resources. Contact members of the International Consortia on Thymic Neoplasms.
- Funding Opportunities. The Foundation may provide financial support through grants.
For Palliative/Hospice Patients
One of the original goals of the Foundation is to provide products that help the quality of life of patients. As part of our program, the Foundation has freely distributed creams, mouthwashes, and special clothing for patients suffering from the effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
We have been concerned, however, that we have been unable to help patients at the later stages. Toward that end, we are offering grants of $250 per patient to help defray the administrative costs of applying for compassionate use of products that may help improve the quality of life of thymic neoplasm patients at the palliative/hospice stages of their treatment.
Please conduct us at 609-214-8616, or info@thymic.org, for information about this initiative.