Metastasizing thymoma and myasthenia gravis. Favorable response to glucocorticoids after failed chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) occurs in up to 44% of patients with thymoma. Thirty-three percent of these neoplasms are invasive but extrathoracic disease is rare. Recently, we saw a patient with MG and recurrent, metastasizing mixed lymphoepithelial thymoma, whose disease was resistant to combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy but who responded dramatically to treatment with daily glucocorticoids. Thus, therapy with daily glucocorticoids should be considered in the treatment of invasive or metastatic thymoma associated with MG, including when conventional surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have failed.
Department of Pathology, Beth-Israel Medical Center, New York, New York.
R
R
Tandan
R
R
Taylor
D P
DP
DiCostanzo
K
K
Sharma
T
T
Fries
J
J
Roberts
D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide; D011241:Prednisone