Thymoma is a tumor in the thymus gland, which is a gland located behind the breast bone, which develops slowly and is usually characterized as a benign tumor not spreading to other organs. This disease is not exactly a thymic carcinoma, so it is not always treated as a cancer.
Generally, benign thymoma is frequent in patients over 50 years old and with autoimmune diseases, especially Myasthenia gravis, Lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, for example.
Types
Thymoma can be divided into 6 types:
- Type A: usually has good chances of cure, and when it is not possible to treat, the patient can still live more than 15 years after diagnosis; Type AB: like type A thymoma, there is a good chance of cure; Type B1: the survival rate is more than 20 years after diagnosis; Type B2: about half of the patients live more than 20 years after the diagnosis of the problem; Type B3: almost half of the patients survive 20 years; Type C: it is the malignant type of thymoma and most patients live between 5 to 10 years.
Thymoma can be discovered by taking an X-ray of the chest due to another problem, so the doctor may order new tests, such as a CT scan or MRI to assess the tumor and begin appropriate treatment.
Symptoms of thymoma
In most cases of thymoma, there are no specific symptoms, being discovered when performing tests for any other reason. However, symptoms of thymoma can be:
- Persistent cough; Chest pain; Difficulty breathing; Constant weakness; Swelling of the face or arms; Difficulty swallowing; Double vision.
Symptoms of thymoma are rare, being more frequent in cases of malignant thymoma, due to the tumor spreading to other organs.
Treatment for thymoma
Treatment must be guided by an oncologist, but it is usually done with surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, which solves most cases.
In the most severe cases, when it comes to cancer and there are metastases, the doctor may also recommend radiotherapy. In inoperable tumors, treatment with chemotherapy is also possible. However, in these cases the chances of a cure are lower and patients live about 10 years after diagnosis.
After treatment for thymoma, the patient must go to the oncologist at least once a year to have a CT scan, looking for the appearance of a new tumor.
Stages of thymoma
The stages of thymoma are divided according to the affected organs and, therefore, include:
- Stage 1: it is located only in the thymus and in the tissue that covers it; Stage 2: the tumor has spread to the fat near the thymus or to the pleura; Stage 3: affects the blood vessels and organs closest to the thymus, such as the lungs; Stage 4: the tumor has spread to organs further away from the thymus, such as the lining of the heart.
The more advanced the stage of the thymoma is, the more difficult it is to carry out treatment and achieve a cure, so it is recommended that patients with autoimmune diseases have frequent tests to detect the appearance of tumors.
