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The thymus

  1. Home
  2. Cancer information
  3. Cancer types
  4. Thymus
  5. The thymus
Print

The thymus is a small, irregular-shaped gland in the top part of the chest, just under the breastbone and between the lungs. It is located in an area of the body called the mediastinum. The thymus is part of both the lymphatic system and the endocrine system.

Expert review and references

  • American Cancer Society. About Thymus Cancer. 2014. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/thymus-cancer/about.html.
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology. Thymoma. 2016.
  • Martini FH, Tallitsch RB. Nath JL. Human Anatomy. 9th ed. New York, NY: Pearson; 2018.
  • Penn Medicine. All About Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma. University of Pennsylvania; 2016. https://www.oncolink.org/.
  • Young B, O'Dowd G, Woodford P (eds.). Wheaters's Functional Histology. 6th ed. Churchill Livingston; 2014.

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