Molecular characterization of thymomas and thymic carcinoma have shown that cKIT (CD117) is overexpressed in thymic carcinomas but not in thymomas (27, 28), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and the VEGF receptor (VEGFR) are often overexpressed in thymic carcinomas (29). Here, KIT is linked to thymic carcinoma.