Thymoma associated with pure red-cell aplasia: clinical features and prognosis.

Abstract

As information on the clinical features and prognosis of thymoma complicated by pure red-cell aplasia is limited, follow-up data on thymoma patients who had a thymectomy between 1954 and 1999 were analyzed retrospectively. Six of 166 cases were complicated by pure red-cell aplasia. In 3 of these, the pure red-cell aplasia appeared after surgical intervention. Remission was observed in 2 patients who underwent extended thymectomy. The other 4 patients subsequently died from pure red-cell aplasia. The outcome in patients with pure red-cell aplasia was poorer than that in the entire group of patients with thymoma and in those with thymoma complicated by myasthenia gravis. The possible onset of pure red-cell aplasia after thymectomy should be kept in mind during follow-up.

• Authors: Tomohiro Murakawa, Jun Nakajima, Hajime Sato, Makoto Tanaka, Shinichi Takamoto, Masashi Fukayama
• Journal: Asian cardiovascular & thoracic annals (Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann) Vol. 10 Issue 2 Pg. 150-4 (Jun 2002) ISSN: 0218-4923 [Print] England
• PMID: 12079940 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Myasthenia Gravis (complications)
• Prognosis
• Proportional Hazards Models
• Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure (etiology)
• Retrospective Studies
• Survival Rate
• Thymectomy (adverse effects)
• Thymoma (complications, mortality, surgery)
• Thymus Neoplasms (complications, mortality, surgery)
• Treatment Outcome