Thymoma history and symptoms

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Amr Marawan, M.D. [2] Ahmad Al Maradni, M.D. [3]

Overview

Symptoms of thymoma include muscle weakness, cough, wheezing, and difficulty swallowing in addition to the symptoms of associated immune syndromes such as anemia, arthralgia, and skin rash.

History and Symptoms

Symptoms of Mass Effect

Approximately 30% of the patients with thymoma have symptoms caused by compression of the surrounding organs, these may include:

• Facial swelling (due to compression of the superior vena cava)
• Difficulty swallowing (due to compression of the esophagus)
• Cough and wheezing (due to compression of the trachea)
• Chest pain (due to local compression)

Symptoms Related to Associated Autoimmune Diseases

Approximately 30% of the patients have symptoms of associated autoimmune disorders, these may include:

• Muscle weakness (associated with myasthenia gravis and polymyositis)
• Anemia (associated with pure red cell aplasia)
• Fever, chest pain, cough, and malaise (associated with Good's syndrome, agranulocytosis, combined immunodeficiency, hypogammaglobulinemia, and acute pericarditis)
• Arthralgia and skin rash (associated with polymyositis, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Anxiety, diarrhea and palpitation (associated with thyroiditis and ulcerative colitis)

Asymptomatic

Approximately 33% to 50% of the patients with thymoma have no symptoms at all, and the mass is identified incidentally.