Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis Research Articles

Ectopic cervical thymoma in myasthenia gravis: a case report

BackgroundEctopic cervical thymoma (ECT) is an extremely rare tumor, especially in association with myasthenia gravis (MG).Case presentationWe report a case of myasthenia gravis with an ectopic thymoma in the neck, whose myasthenic symptoms significantly improved after complete removal of the mass. A 55-year-old woman with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) experienced worsening neuromuscular weakness after abruptly discontinuing pyridostigmine. Testing revealed acetylcholine receptor-antibody (AChR-Ab) positivity and a cervical mass initially thought to be thyroid or parathyroid was identified as a thymoma, type A. Post-surgery and radiation therapy, her myasthenic symptoms improved significantly with less prednisone and pyridostigmine requirements over time and no need for additional immunotherapies.ConclusionsDiagnosing ECTs is challenging due to rarity, atypical locations, and inconclusive fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) results, often misinterpreted as thyroid or parathyroid lesions. As proper management of patients with MG, including thymectomy, offers favorable clinical outcomes such as significant improvement in myasthenic complaints and reduced immunosuppressive medication requirements, clinicians should be vigilant of the ectopic locations of thymomas to ensure timely diagnosis and intervention.

Thymoma negatively affects the neurological outcome of myasthenia gravis after thymectomy: a propensity score matching study

BackgroundThymoma and myasthenia gravis (MG) interact with each other. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of thymoma on neurological outcome of MG patients after thymectomy using the propensity score matching (PSM) method.MethodsConsecutive patients with MG who underwent thymectomy at Beijing Hospital between January 2012 and August 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical and follow-up data were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 software. PSM was performed to eliminate selection bias.ResultsA total of 456 patients were included in this study. Thymoma was present in 138 (30.3%) patients. The median follow-up time was 72 (range, 12–135) months. At the last follow-up, a lower proportion of thymomatous MG patients achieved complete stable remission (CSR) compared with non-thymomatous MG patients (P = 0.011), and the effective rate [CSR + pharmatologic remission (PR) + minimal manifestations (MM)] of thymomatous MG patients was also lower (P = 0.037). Considering time to CSR, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed thymomatous MG patients had lower cumulative CSR rate than non-thymomatous MG patients (log-rank, P = 0.019). After PSM, 105 pairs of patients were matched successfully. For the matched patients, thymomatous MG patients had a lower CSR rate and a lower effective rate (P = 0.002, 0.039, respectively), and K–M analysis still showed thymomatous MG patients had lower cumulative CSR rate (log-rank, P = 0.048). Multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that thymoma (HR: 0.592, 95% CI 0.389–0.900, P = 0.014), older age at the time of surgery (HR: 0.971, 95% CI 0.953–0.990, P = 0.003), and preoperative course of MG > 12 months (HR: 0.474, 95% CI 0.317–0.708, P = 0.000) were negative predictive factors for CSR.ConclusionsThymoma had a negative effect on the neurological outcome of MG after thymectomy. MG patients with old age and a preoperative course of longer than one year had a lower probability of achieving CSR.

TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling imbalances Th17 and Treg cells in thymoma with myasthenia gravis.

Thymus is an immune organ in which pathological changes may cause autoimmune diseases, including myasthenia gravis (MG). Recent studies have focused on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling as the cause of such changes. In our previous study, an imbalance of T helper 17 (Th17) cells and T regulatory (Treg) cells was found in MG thymoma. These results suggest the involvement of TLR4 in the pathogenesis of thymoma MG via an alteration of the Th17/Treg balance. Here, we aimed to assess whether the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB pathway is upregulated in MG thymoma and its relationship with Th17/Treg cells. We collect thymoma samples from 54 patients with or without MG, detecting the expression level of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB in thymoma tissues. Next, we established an in vitro experiment of coculturing thymoma cells with CD4+ T cells and detected the differentiation of Th17 cells and Treg cells and their marker protein, retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt) and forkhead transcription factor 3 (Foxp3). We found TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB expressed more in MG thymoma compared with simple thymoma. After the transwell coculturing, we observed an imbalance of Th17/Treg cells after TLR4 stimulation. TLR4 is stimulated in thymoma, causing an increase of Th17 cells and a decrease of Treg cells, namely an imbalance of Th17/Treg cells, resulting in MG.

Muscle and Muscle-like Autoantigen Expression in Myasthenia Gravis Thymus: Possible Molecular Hint for Autosensitization

The thymus is widely recognized as an immunological niche where autoimmunity against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) develops in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients, who mostly present thymic hyperplasia and thymoma. Thymoma-associated MG is frequently characterized by autoantibodies to the muscular ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) and titin (TTN), along with anti-AChR antibodies. By real-time PCR, we analyzed muscle-CHRNA1, RYR1, and TTN-and muscle-like-NEFM, RYR3 and HSP60-autoantigen gene expression in MG thymuses with hyperplasia and thymoma, normal thymuses and non-MG thymomas, to check for molecular changes potentially leading to an altered antigen presentation and autoreactivity. We found that CHRNA1 (AChR-α subunit) and AIRE (autoimmune regulator) genes were expressed at lower levels in hyperplastic and thymoma MG compared to the control thymuses, and that the RYR1 and TTN levels were decreased in MG versus the non-MG thymomas. Genes encoding autoantigens that share epitopes with AChR-α (NEFM and HSP60), RYR1 (neuronal RYR3), and TTN (NEFM) were up-regulated in thymomas versus hyperplastic and control thymuses, with distinct molecular patterns across the thymoma histotypes that could be relevant for autoimmunity development. Our findings support the idea that altered muscle autoantigen expression, related with hyperplastic and neoplastic changes, may favor autosensitization in the MG thymus, and that molecular mimicry involving tumor-related muscle-like proteins may be a mechanism that makes thymoma prone to developing MG.

Comparison of Short-Term Post-Thymectomy Outcomes by Time-Weighted Dosages of Drug Requirements between Thymoma and Non-Thymoma Myasthenia Gravis Patients.

(1) Background: Early thymectomy is suggested in all clinically indicated myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. However, short-term clinical response after thymectomy in MG patients has been limitedly described in the literature. This study aimed to compare the 5-year post-thymectomy outcomes between thymoma (Th) and non-thymoma (non-Th) MG patients. (2) Methods: MG patients aged ≥18 years who underwent transsternal thymectomy and had tissue histopathology reports in Songklanagarind Hospital between 2002 and 2020 were enrolled in a retrospective review. The differences in the baseline demographics and clinical characteristics between ThMG and non-Th MG patients were studied. We compared the time-weighted averages (TWAs) of daily required dosages of pyridostigmine, prednisolone or azathioprine to efficiently maintain daily living activities and earnings between the MG patient groups during 5 consecutive years following thymectomy. Post-thymectomy clinical status, exacerbations or crises were followed. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. (3) Results: ThMG patients had significantly older ages of onset and shorter times from the MG diagnosis to thymectomy. Male gender was the only significant factor associated with ThMG. TWAs of the daily MG treatment drug dosages required showed no differences between the groups. Additionally, the rates of exacerbations and crises were not different, but decremental trends were shown in both groups after the thymectomies. (4) Conclusions: The daily dosage requirements of MG treatment drugs were not different. There was a trend of decreasing adverse event rates despite no statistically significant differences during the first 5 years after thymectomy in ThMG and non-ThMG patients.

Aberrant Dendritic Cell Subsets in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis and Related Clinical Features

Introduction: Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG), and a series of DC-based experimental strategies for MG have recently been developed. However, the definite roles of different DC subsets in the mechanism of MG have scarcely been covered by previous studies. The present study aimed to investigate the levels of three main DC subsets, plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) (CD303 positive) and two distinct subsets of conventional DCs (cDCs), namely CD1c⁺ cDCs and CD141⁺ cDCs, in MG patients and analyze related clinical features. Methods: From January 2016 to December 2020, 160 newly diagnosed MG patients and matched healthy controls (n = 160) were included in the study, and their clinical data were collected. The blood samples from MG patients before treatment and controls were collected for flow cytometry analysis. A total of 14 MG thymoma, 24 control thymoma, and 3 thymic cysts were used to immunostain the DC subsets. Results: The flow cytometry analysis showed a significantly higher frequency of circulating pDCs, CD1c⁺ cDCs, and CD141⁺ cDCs in MG patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.001 for all). Patients with early-onset MG (<50 years old) had a lower frequency of circulating pDCs but a higher frequency of circulating CD1c⁺ cDCs than those with late-onset MG (≥50 years old) (p = 0.014 and p = 0.025, respectively). The frequency of circulating pDCs was positively associated with the clinical severity of late-onset MG patients (r = 0.613, p < 0.001). 64.3% (9/14) of MG thymoma is of type B2 under the World Health Organization classification, which is higher than that in control thymoma (33.3%, 8/24) (p = 0.019). For type B2 thymoma, there were significantly more pDCs but fewer CD1c⁺ cDCs in MG thymoma than in the controls. Conclusion: The distribution of aberrant pDCs, CD1c⁺ cDCs, and CD141⁺ cDCs in MG patients displayed age- and thymoma-related differences, which may contribute to the impaired immune tolerance and lead to the onset of MG.

Expression of Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 2 in Patients With Thymoma and Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis.

This study aimed to examine the expression of programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 (PD-L2) in thymoma and thymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG). The records of 70 patients with thymoma receiving surgical resection between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Thymoma PD-L2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining. Associations between PD-L2 expression and clinicopathologic features were examined. PD-L2 expression was positive in 41 patients (58.6%) and negative in 29 patients (41.4%). Of them, 33 had thymomatous MG. Patients with MG were more likely to be 50 years of age or younger (69.70% vs 35.14%); have more World Health Organization (WHO) type B thymomas (84.85% vs 64.86%); have tumors of smaller size (4.09 ± 2.33 cm vs 6.47 ± 2.42 cm); have positive PD-L2 expression (78.79% vs 40.54%); and have a higher percentage of PD-L2-positive cells, higher PD-L2 expression intensity, and score (all P < .05). Positive PD-L2 expression was associated with more type B thymomas, higher Masaoka-Koga stage, smaller tumor size, ectopic thymus, and MG (all P < .05). Factors significantly associated with MG were age under 50 years, tumor size less than 5 cm, and positive PD-L2 expression (all P < .05). Thymoma PD-L2 expression is significantly associated with thymomatous MG and WHO histologic types B2 and B3.

Neurological outcomes of extended thymectomy for thymomatous myasthenia gravis: Subxiphoid vs. trans-sternal approaches.

BackgroundThe subxiphoid approach has been widely used recently. However, there is little data focusing on neurological outcomes in patients with thymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG) who underwent subxiphoid thoracoscopic thymectomy. The purpose of this study was to compare the neurological outcomes of patients with thymomatous MG who underwent extended thymectomy with a subxiphoid or transthoracic approach 1 year postoperatively.MethodsThe records of patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymomas who underwent extended thymectomy from January 2019 to December 2020 with tumor size less than 5 cm and thymomatous MG were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated. Neurological outcomes were measured by a quantitative myasthenia gravis score (QMGS), with a 2.3-point reduction in QMGS associated with improvement in clinical MG status. The clinical efficacy and variables affecting the outcomes were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis.ResultsA total of 89 patients were included in the analysis, of which 44 had a subxiphoid approach and 45 had a trans-sternal approach. Mean QMGS decreased from 12 at initial diagnosis to 8.7 preoperatively and 5.6 at 12 months postoperatively in the subxiphoid group and from 12.1 to 8.9 to 6.0 in the transthoracic group. Thirteen patients (28.9%) who underwent the trans-sternal approach and 10 (22.7%) who underwent the subxiphoid approach did not have an improved clinical status compared with their preoperative status. The median time to clinical improvement was 3 months (95% CI, 2.15–3.85) for the subxiphoid approach and 6 months (95% CI, 5.54–6.46) for the trans-sternal approach. Univariate results showed that the subxiphoid approach was associated with a faster improvement in clinical status (HR = 1.701, 95% CI, 1.044–2.773, P < 0.05), and age ≦48 was associated with a faster improvement in clinical status (HR = 1.709, 95% CI, 1.044–2.799, P < 0.05). The multivariate model including age ≦48 (HR = 1.837, 95% CI, 1.093–3.086, P = 0.022) and the subxiphoid approach (HR = 1.892, 95% CI, 1.127–3.177, P = 0.016) was significantly associated with a faster improvement in clinical status.ConclusionsIn patients with Masaoka stage I and II thymoma who underwent thymectomy, with tumor size less than 5 cm and thymomatous MG, age ≦48 years and the subxiphoid approach were associated with a rapid improvement in clinical status.

087 Audit of thymectomy for thymoma associated and non-thymoma associated myasthenia gravis at Southampton General Hospital

IntroductionIn 2016, a pivotal multi-centre RCT demonstrated that thymectomy for non-thymoma asso- ciated myasthenia gravis (MG) improved clinical outcome and reduced long-term immunosuppression. We sought to review how practice has changed in Wessex following the trial.MethodPatients over the age of 18 who underwent thymectomy for both thymoma and non-thymoma associated MG between 01/08/2013 and 01/08/2019 were identified using coding. Data was collected retrospectively from healthcare records.ResultsThe number of thymectomies performed increased from 6 to 24, representing an eight-fold increase for patients with non-thymoma associated MG and three-fold increase for patients with thymoma. Time from diagnosis to surgery for patients without thymoma reduced from 8.8 years to 2.3 years. Overall 15/24 cases were performed by VATS, 12% more than previously. There was a small increase in surgical morbidity. However, 50% of patients were on reduced doses of immunosuppression by six months after surgery without deterioration in myasthenia.ConclusionFollowing the landmark publication in 2016, there has been a significant increase in the number of thymectomies performed in Wessex. Time to surgery has fallen, but associated surgical morbidity has increased. These observations have supported the development of a MDT in Wessex to streamline patient care and improve outcomes.c-allen@doctors.org.uk

Factors predicting surgical outcome of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis

Aim of the study is to evaluate predictors of outcome after thymectomy in the management of non thymomatous myasthenia gravis. One hundred patients who underwent thymectomy for myasthenia gravis in the period between June 2019 and September 2021 in Kasr Alainy hospitals were recruited to this study.&#x0D; Preoperative assessment included age, gender, co morbidities, MGFA classification, duration of symptoms from time of diagnosis till surgery, preoperative medication, preoperative plasmapheresis. All patients performed CT chest, electromyography, and acetyl choline receptor antibody titer before and after surgery. Thymectomy was performed either by transsternal or VATS approach with documentation of the extent of resection; primary outcome was assessment of improvement by MGFA classification and need for medication. Secondary outcome was postoperative complications. Complete stable remission was achieved in 5 patients, clinical and pharmacological improvements were achieved in 71 patients, 21 patients didn’t improve and only 3 patients worsen after surgery. Finally, we found that early onset MG, absent preoperative comorbidity, performing extended thymectomy and reduction of postoperative Acetyl choline receptor antibody titer were significant predictors of improvement of MG symptoms after thymectomy.

Outcomes after Thymectomy in Patients with Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis.

Objectives This article describes the clinical outcomes after thymectomy in patients with thymomatous myasthenia gravis (T-MG) managed in the department of thoracic surgery of Hassan II University Hospital of Fez, Fez, Morocco. Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of medical records of 16 patients with T-MG between January 2009 and January 2017. Results There were 11 women and 5 men with a median age of 40 years at the thymectomy time and a median time of onset of symptoms to thymectomy of 12 months. At the preoperative evaluation (Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America [MGFA] clinical classification), 7 patients were class II, 7 class III, and 2 class IV. Nine patients were in Masaoka stage I, and the remaining 7 patients stage II. We recorded one case of postoperative myasthenic crisis. At 3 years of follow-up after thymectomy, 6 patients had complete stable remission and the other 10 patients improved. Of these patients with clinical improvement, 6 patients were in MGFA class I and the remaining 4 patients class II. Conclusion The present study shows the beneficial effect of thymectomy in patients with T-MG. Postoperative clinical outcomes seem to be better when the preoperative severity of myasthenic symptoms is mild (MGFA class II).

Thymectomy in Myasthenia Gravis: A Narrative Review.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare condition caused by autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors on postsynaptic membrane that leads to weakness of skeletal muscles. About 7 of 10 patients with MG have thymic hyperplasia and about 1 of 10 patients have thymoma. Thymectomy has increasingly been used as a treatment modality for MG. Several observational studies have shown that thymectomy results in improvement in MG and a randomized trial has established that thymectomy leads to a better outcome in non-thymomatous generalized MG. However, thymectomy is yet controversial in some disease subtypes and there are potential concerns regarding the selection of the ideal surgical approach to achieve complete removal of the thymic tissue to achieve stable remission rates. This review highlights the role of thymectomy in non-thymomatous and thymomatous MG, the effectiveness of various thymectomy methods, postoperative myasthenic crisis, and remission after thymectomy.

Robotic Thymectomy for Thymomas: A Retrospective Follow-up Study in the Netherlands

BackgroundThe Maastricht University Medical Center+ is a Dutch center of expertise appointed by the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centers for the treatment of thymomas. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term oncologic, surgical, and neurologic outcomes of all patients who underwent a robotic thymectomy for a thymoma at Maastricht University Medical Center+. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical-pathologic data of all consecutive patients with a thymoma who underwent robotic thymectomy using the DaVinci robotic system at Maastricht University Medical Center+ between April 2004 and December 2018. Follow-up data were collected from 60 referring Dutch hospitals. ResultsIn total, 398 robotic thymectomies were performed, and 130 thymomas (32.7%) were found. Median follow-up time was 46 months; median procedure time, 116 minutes; and median hospitalization time, 3 days. In 8.4% of patients, a conversion was performed, and in 20.8%, a complication was registered. The majority of myasthenic patients with a thymoma went into remission, mostly within 12 to 24 months after thymectomy (81%). No statistical difference was found in the number of complications, conversions, incomplete resections, or deaths between patients with myasthenia gravis and nonmyasthenic patients. Thirty-six patients (27.7%) underwent postoperative radiotherapy. The recurrence rate was 9.1%, and the 5-year thymoma-related survival rate was 96.6%. ConclusionsRobotic thymectomy was found to be safe and feasible for early stage thymomas, most advanced-stage thymomas, and thymomatous myasthenia gravis. A national guideline could contribute to the improvement of the oncologic follow-up of thymic epithelial tumors in the Netherlands.

Factors affecting improvement of neurologic status evaluated by Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score for patients with thymomatous myasthenia gravis after extended thymectomy

BackgroundThe length of time for clinical improvement of patients with thymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG) after extended thymectomy is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the length of time after thymectomy in patients with thymomatous MG to achieve a 3-point reduction of Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMGS), and identify variables associated with a failure to achieve the reduction.MethodsThe records of patients with thymomatous MG who underwent extended thymectomy from January 2005 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The primary end point was a reduction of 3 points of QMGs and the secondary end point was another reduction of 3 points of QMGs.ResultsA total of 481 patients were included in the analysis, the mean age of the patients was 41.63 ± 8.55 years, and approximately 60% were male. The median time to achieve a 3 point decrease in QMGS was 6 months, and the median time to achieve another 3 point decrease was 30 months. Multivariable analysis indicated that age ≥ 42 years and Masaoka-Koga stage > I were associated with a lower probability of achieving a 3 point decrease in QMGS (HR = 0.55 and 0.65, respectively). Likewise, multivariable analysis indicated that age ≥ 42 years and Masaoka-Koga stage > I were associated with a lower probability of achieving a second 3 point decrease in QMGS (HR = 0.53 and 0.53, respectively).ConclusionsIn patients with thymomatous MG who receive thymectomy, age ≥ 42 years and Masaoka-Koga stage > I are associated with a worse prognosis and failure to achieve a 3 point decrease in QMGS.

Risk factors of prolonged ventilation after thymectomy in thymoma myasthenia gravis patients

BackgroundTo explore the risk factors for prolonged ventilation after thymectomy in patients with thymoma associated with myasthenia gravis (TAMG).MethodsWe reviewed the records of 112 patients with TAMG after thymectomy between January 2010 and December 2019 in Peking University People’s Hospital. Demographic, pathological, preoperative data and the Anesthesia, surgery details were assessed with multivariable logistic regression analysis to predict the risk of prolonged ventilation after thymectomy. A nomogram to predict the probability of post-thymectomy ventilation was constructed with R software. Discrimination and calibration were employed to evaluate the performance of the nomogram.ResultsBy multivariate analysis, male, low vital capacity (VC), Osserman classification (IIb, III, IV), total intravenous anesthesia, and long operation time were identified as the risk factors and entered into the nomogram. The nomogram showed a robust discrimination, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0. 835 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.757–0.913). The calibration plot indicated that the nomogram-predicted probabilities compared very well with the actual probabilities (Hosmer–Lemeshow test: P = 0.921).ConclusionThe nomogram is a valuable predictive tool for prolonged ventilation after thymectomy in patients with TAMG.

Perioperative Approach in a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis

Background: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder that causes the destruction and overall decrease in functional acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction. The resultant respiratory and cardiovascular implications are a primary cause of mortality; therefore, a complete and comprehensive understandings of this disorder is vital for the anesthesia provider. Anesthesia management in myasthenia gravis is a great challenge for all anesthesiologists. In this disease, even small doses of muscle relaxants could lead to delayed recovery for respiratory muscles.&#x0D; Case report: We present the case of a 38 years old woman (weight 87 kg) diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, which symptoms has worsened recently. The case demonstrates the anesthetic challenges involved, with a focus on the overall approach, pharmacologic considerations, physiological changes, and an emphasis on preoperative operative and post-operative optimization.&#x0D; Conclusion: Thymectomy is a common procedure performed in cases of myasthenia gravis (MG) with a thymoma or general MG that does not improve with medical therapy. During anesthesia the use of propofol or sevoflurane with opioids without the use of any neuromuscular blocking agents has been used with success.

Robotic thymectomy for thymoma in patients with myasthenia gravis: neurological and oncological outcomes.

The goal of this study was to analyse the outcomes in 53 patients with thymoma, 34 of whom had myasthenia gravis (MG), who were treated with robotic surgery. The oncological outcomes of the whole series of patients were analysed. Furthermore, because consistent data are not yet available in the literature, the main focus was the analysis of the neurological results of the patients affected by MG and thymoma. The clinical outcomes of 53 patients with a diagnosis of thymoma who underwent robotic thymectomy between January 2014 and December 2019 in our institution were collected and evaluated; 34 of these patients had a concomitant diagnosis of MG. The neurological status of the patients was determined from a clinical evaluation according to the Osserman classification and on pre- and post-surgery Myasthenia Gravis Composite scores, whereas neurological clinical outcomes were assessed using the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Post-Intervention Score. Reduction of steroid therapy was also considered. The recurrence rate, adjuvant radiotherapy and overall survival of the patients with a thymoma were evaluated. Neurological outcomes: improvement of the clinical conditions was obtained in 26 patients (76.5%) following the operation: complete stable remission was observed in 5 patients (14.7%), pharmacological remission in 10 (29.4%) and minimal manifestation in 11 (32.3%). Four patients (11.8%) exhibited no substantial change from the pretreatment clinical manifestations or reduction in MG medication and 4 (11.8%) patients experienced worsening of clinical conditions. In 21 patients (61.7%) a reduction of the dosage of steroid therapy was obtained. Oncological outcomes: at an average follow-up of 36 months, the overall survival was 96%, 4 patients (7.5%) had pleural relapses and 12 patients (22.6%) underwent postoperative radiotherapy, according to their stage. In accordance with Masaoka staging, 34% were in stage I, 56.6% in stage II and 9.4% in stage III. Our results suggest that robotic surgical treatment of patients with thymoma and concomitant MG is effective in improving the neurological outcomes. Moreover, the oncological results obtained in this series confirm the efficacy of robotic surgery for the treatment of thymic malignancies, with results in line with those of open surgery. However, due to the indolent growth of thymomas, further observations with longer follow-up are necessary.

The effect of glucocorticoids on radiology and histology of thymoma in myasthenia gravis.

The effect of glucocorticoids on radiology and histology of thymoma in myasthenia gravis.

Robotic radical thymothymectomy for thymomatous myasthenia gravis in the elderly: case report and mini-review

: Thymectomy remains a therapeutic challenge in elderly patients with thymoma associated with myasthenia gravis (MG). Thymectomy, in the multimodality therapy of these patients should be discussed by multidisciplinary expert teams. Available data show that robotic thymectomy seems to be as safe and as effective as an open procedure with better short-term outcomes and with at least the same quality of oncologic resection. Nevertheless, data are limited on the safety and effectiveness of robotic thymectomy in elderly patients. We present here, our surgical technique of robotic radical en bloc thymothymectomy that we use in all our patients with thymoma associated with MG, with particularities related to elderly patients. We also review the medical and surgical literature on robotic thymectomy for thymoma and MG. The robotic platform allows us to “mimic an open procedure by a minimally invasive approach”, and thus, we are able to perform a complete and radical thymothymectomy comparable to open procedure with the same quality of oncologic resection, but with the advantages of a minimally invasive approach regarding short-term outcomes.

Determinants of Suboptimal Outcome Following Thymectomy in Myasthenia Gravis.

Response to thymectomy in myasthenia gravis (MG) is influenced by various patient-, disease-, and therapy-related factors. Retrospective analysis of 128 patients with MG who underwent maximal thymectomy over 15 years was done to identify the determinants of suboptimal clinical outcome. Among the 128 patients, 62 (48.4%) were females with a mean age of 38.97 (12.29) years. Thymomatous MG occurred in 66 (51.6%). Overall improvement from preoperative status was noted in 88 (68.8%) patients after mean follow-up of 51.68 (33.21) months. The presence of thymoma was the major predictor of suboptimal clinical outcome (P = 0.001), whereas age, gender, preoperative disease severity, and seropositive status did not attain significance. Patients with better outcome had received higher steroid dose preoperatively (P = 0.035). Suboptimal response after thymectomy occurred in one-third of MG patients, more commonly with thymomatous MG. Relationship of preoperative steroid therapy to remission merits evaluation.