title: Thymoma complicated by acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia and pure red cell aplasia.
abstract: Although the association of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) and aplastic anemia with thymoma is well-known, acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (AAMT) is not a recognized paraneoplastic manifestation of thymoma. This report discusses a patient with recurrent thymoma complicated by myasthenia gravis, PRCA, and AAMT. Both PRCA and AAMT are diagnosed after a thymoma recurrence, 11 years after complete resection of the initial tumor and 9 months after chemotherapy for the relapsed disease. Both PRCA and AAMT responded to immunosuppression with cyclosporine, corticosteroid, and an abbreviated course of antithymocyte globulin, achieving a very good erythroid response and a complete remission for AAMT, suggesting that AAMT, although extremely rare, can be an immune-mediated paraneoplastic manifestation of thymoma.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center; and the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, Department of Hematopathology, and Section of Thrombosis & Benign Hematology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Carl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center; and the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, Department of Hematopathology, and Section of Thrombosis & Benign Hematology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: William N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: William
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center; and the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, Department of Hematopathology, and Section of Thrombosis & Benign Hematology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Sa A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center; and the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, Department of Hematopathology, and Section of Thrombosis & Benign Hematology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Thein Hlaing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Oo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011696:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic / Q000150:complications*; D012010:Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure / Q000150:complications*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000209:etiology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*