What is thymic hyperplasia?

What is thymic hyperplasia?

Thymic hyperplasia is a condition in which the thymus gland is inflamed. This is a benign condition and can be associated with a number of other medical conditions, such as thyroid abnormalities. Thymic hyperplasia can also be seen in association with MG.

What causes thymus hyperplasia?

Thymic hyperplasia is an increase in size and weight of a thymus gland that is otherwise normal. It usually is a rebound phenomenon after atrophy caused by corticosteroids or chemotherapy, and it occurs several months after resolution of the cause of atrophy. Occasionally, it may result from hyperthyroidism.

How many people have thymic hyperplasia?

Massive thymic hyperplasia is an extremely rare disorder, with fewer than 60 cases reported so far.

Are thymomas always malignant?

However, thymoma is now considered to be always possibility malignant and the best way to determine if the condition will recur after treatment is to examine if the tumors have spread to other areas. See also emphysema, mediastinal tumors, mesothelioma and sarcoidosis for other lung diseases.

Can thymic hyperplasia cause pain?

Tumors in the thymus can press on nearby structures, causing symptoms such as: Shortness of breath. Cough (which may bring up bloody sputum) Chest pain.

Is the thymus gland large in adults?

Anatomy of the Thymus The thymus is located in the upper anterior (front) part of your chest directly behind your sternum and between your lungs. The pinkish-gray organ has two thymic lobes. The thymus reaches its maximum weight (about 1 ounce) during puberty.

What percentage of thymomas are malignant?

Thymoma is the most common anterior mediastinal tumor in the adult (very rare in children). Thirty percent are invasive (malignant thymoma).

What is the prognosis of thymoma?

Thymoma Prognosis. The outcome for sufferers with this neoplasm depends on a number of factors, such as stage of cancer, type of the cancer cell, the general health of patients as well as recurrence of the condition. Prognosis is generally much worse for the stage III or the IV Thymoma patients compared to the stage I and stage II cases.

What is the prevalence of thymoma?

Thymoma has a prevalence of 0.1 to 0.4/100,000 and accounts for less than 1% of all malignant tumors[].The B2 type of thymoma is defined as a tumor in which the neoplastic epithelial component appears as scattered plump cells with vesicular nuclei and distinct nucleoli among a heavy population of lymphocytes by the World Health Organization (WHO) classification[].

Is thymoma Type B1 malignant?

Type B1 thymoma is considered to a tumor of low-grade malignant potential since it is completely encapsulated in more than 50% of cases. Almost 90% of cases are considered completely resectable. The 5-yr and 10-yr survival rates are 95% and 90% respectively. Recurrences may occur in 10% to 15% of cases, but distant metastases are rare.

Are thymomas malignant?

Thymomas are malignant, epithelial tumors of the thymus of diverse morphology that may metastasize or relapse after resection. The WHO histological classification includes five main subtypes A, AB, B1, B2 and B3. Types A and AB usually harbour a specific GTF2Igene mutation.