Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Invasive thymoma with osseous metaplasia and cystic change in a case of myasthenia gravis: a rare presentation

  • Case Report
  • Published:
General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A 35-year-old woman, a known case of myasthenia gravis, was found to have an anterior mediastinal mass, which was surgically removed. The preoperative clinical and radiologic diagnosis was that of a thymoma, but foci of calcification and prominent cystic change suggested the remote possibility of a teratoma. Histopathologically, it was confirmed to be a type B3 invasive thymoma with intratumoral ossification. Up to the present, three cases of thymoma with osseous metaplasia, including only one with myasthenia gravis, have been reported in the English literature. The present case report highlights the rare occurrence of osseous metaplasia in thymomas and the diagnostic challenge that it can pose, especially if it is associated with cystic degeneration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rosai J, Levine GD. Tumors of the thymus. In: Harlan L, Ferminger MD, eds. Atlas of tumor pathology. Series 2, fascicle 13. Washington, DC: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; 1976. p. 1–22I.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Funai K, Yokose T, Yoshida J, Nishimura M, Nagai K, Nishiwaki Y, et al. Thymoma with osseous metaplasia. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2001;25:897–899.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chen HK, Huang WT, Eng HL, Lu HI, Huang HY. Ossifying thymoma clinically presenting with peripheral T-cell lymphocytosis. Ann Thorac Surg 2009;88:e5–e7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Santoni-Rugiu E, Ravn J, Sehested M, Hansen K, Andersen CB. Ossifying thymoma associated with refractory myasthenia gravis. APMIS 2010;118(4):334–336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Moran CA, Suster S. Thymoma with prominent cystic and hemorrhagic changes and areas of necrosis and infarction: a clinicopathologic study of 25 cases. Am J Surg Pathol 2001;25:1086–1090.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Suster S, Rosai J. Cystic thymomas: a clinicopathologic study of ten cases. Cancer (Phila) 1992;69:92–97.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hasner E. Thymomas. Acta Chir Scand 1963;126:58–65.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Monden Y, Masaoka A, Maeda M, Nakahara K, Oshima S, Tani Y, et al. Thymoma with calcification (in Japanese). Kyobu Geka 1980;33:126–130.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Deepali Jain.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Siraj, F., Dhawan, S. & Jain, D. Invasive thymoma with osseous metaplasia and cystic change in a case of myasthenia gravis: a rare presentation. Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 59, 583–586 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-010-0726-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11748-010-0726-4

Key words

Navigation