Thymic epithelial tumors (TET) are uncommon tumors of the anterior mediastinum. Despite their rarity, they are actually the most common tumor type located in this mediastinal compartment. The only way to conduct high quality research regarding TET is to develop the infrastructure and commitment to coordinate studies between multiple institutions. To this end, a notable organization that has taken on this challenge in China is the Chinese Alliance for Research in Thymomas (ChART). In addition to performing its own coordinated research, ChART has also contributed its data to the much larger, worldwide retrospective database of the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG). It is only through such collaborative mechanisms and organizations that knowledge regarding thymic tumors will be advanced in the future, which should also serve as model for performing research for other rare diseases. This Focused Issue of the Journal of Thoracic Disease is evidence of the progress allowed only through such collaboration.
