Mediastinal lymphadenectomy for thymic malignancies: the time has come

In a recent issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Dr. Wentao Fang and Colleagues reported the results of a prospective observational trial concerning intentional lymphadenectomy during thymectomy for thymic malignancies on 275 patients (1). This remarkable study was devised and developed by the Chinese Alliance for Research in Thymomas (ChART) and follows a retrospective study on 1,617 patients (2).