title: Primary thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: diagnostic tips.
abstract: Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma arising in the thymus is extremely rare and little is known regarding its clinicopathological features. This study examined the clinicopathological features of nine cases of thymic MALT lymphoma. Most patients had autoimmune disease or hyperglobulinemia, and they also had cysts in the tumors. Both increased serum autoantibody levels and polyclonal serum immunoglobulin levels remained essentially unchanged after total thymectomy in all patients. Thymic MALT lymphoma needs to be included in the differential diagnosis in Asian patients with a cystic thymic mass accompanied by autoimmune disease or hyperglobulinemia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic and Visceral Organ Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan. kmshimizu@gmail.com
authors.forename: Kimihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kakegawa
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Astumi
authors.forename: Kyoichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaira
authors.forename: Kiyohiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyanaga
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamiyoshihara
authors.forename: Kanji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takeyoshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C415943:API2-MALT1 fusion protein, human; D001323:Autoantibodies; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D012333:RNA, Messenger