The thymoma is a tumor of the thymus, a gland located behind the sternum that grows slowly and is usually characterized by being a benign tumor that does not spread to other organs.This disease is not exactly a timid carcinoma, so it is not always treated as cancer.
Benign thyrome is usually common in patients over age 50 with autoimmune diseases, such as severe myasthenia, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, for example.
The thymoma can be divided into 6 types
Thymoma can be discovered by taking a chest x-ray due to another problem, so your doctor may order other tests, such as a CT scan or MRI to evaluate the tumor and begin appropriate treatment.
In most cases of thymoma, there are no specific symptoms, which are discovered during testing for any other reason; however, the symptoms of thymoma can be:
Thymoma symptoms are rare, being more common in cases of malignant thymoma, due to the spread of the tumor to other organs.
Treatment must be guided by an oncologist, but is usually done with surgery to remove as many tumors as possible, which resolves most cases.
In more severe cases, when it comes to cancer and metastasis, your doctor may also recommend radiation therapy; inoperable tumors chemotherapy treatment is also possible; however, in these cases, the chances of recovery are lower and patients live about 10 years.after diagnosis.
After treatment of the thymoma, the patient should go to the oncologist at least once a year for a CT scan, looking for the appearance of a new tumor.
The stages of the thyme are divided according to the affected organs and therefore include:
The more advanced the stage of the thymoma, the more difficult it is to treat and cure, so it is recommended that patients with autoimmune diseases undergo frequent tests to detect the appearance of tumors.