Thymoma

Question: Which part of the body is affected by thymoma? Malignant thymoma is a disease in which can cells are found in the tissues of the thymus. The thymus is a small organ that lies under the breastbone.

Answer: As you indicated in your question, thymoma's start of at the thymus and can spread from there. Usually you will find that thymomas form in the chest cavity and depending on the type, and there are numerous types, it can just continue to grow or metastasis to other parts of the body. It is extremely rare and probably accounts for approx. 1.6% of all cancers. The following links should give you some more reading on the subject, if your interested.

Question: How fast does a thymoma tumor grow? if the tumor is the size of a small egg, how long has it approximately been growing?

Answer: Of all tumors, thymoma is probably one of those that's hardest to predict. Thymomas can range from those that behave relatively indolently to those that behave very aggressively and be very invasive. The best guess for a tumor that is clinically evident (meaning causing symptoms and therefore diagnosed) is probably in the order of months. But it could potentially have been there but growing slowly for years.

Question: How likely is a patient with a thymoma to have these smptoms and clinical features? A patient has muscular weakness which is found to be secondary to autoantibodies to postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (anti-AChRs) at the neuromuscular junction. How likely is a patient with a thymoma to have these smptoms and clinical features? a) >90% b) 70-90% c) 30-70% d) 20-30% e) <20%

Answer: Ummm...it would help if you told us whether it's benign or malignant? Otherwise, listen up... Of patients with a thymoma, one third to one half are asymptomatic, and one third of patients present with local symptoms related to the tumor encroaching on surrounding structures. These patients may present with cough, chest pain, superior vena cava syndrome, dysphagia, and hoarseness if the recurrent laryngeal nerve is involved. One third of cases are found incidentally on radiographic examinations during a workup for MG. As many as 50% of patients with thymoma have MG, and approximately 15% of patients with MG have thymoma (Temes, 1999). MG is caused by autoantibodies to postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (anti-AChRs) at the neuromuscular junction, causing weakness of skeletal muscles. Some patients with thymoma-associated MG have an inflammatory myopathy of striated and cardiac muscles. Cardiac myositis may cause heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, and sudden death (Mygland, 2000; Agarwala, 1996).

Question: Is ectopic hamartomatous thymoma a benign or malignant tumour?

Answer: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cp…

Question: please help!! I need a biefing about Nursing intervention for thymoma patient? some details about nursing intervention for Thymoma patients. steps and procedures to be taken, and how to take care of a Thymoma patient.

Answer: Mooooooooo.

Question: Brother died of malignant thymoma and I have hypothyroidism are they related? The reason I am wondering is because synthroid mades me very sleepy and Drs. say that I am making it up.

Answer: Hi there Here is some methods to correct your condition. Cause: Hypothyroidism can be caused by food allergies, excess stress, environmental toxins, insufficient exercise, B vitamin deficiencies, lack of iron, lack of digestive enzymes, liver disease, hormone imbalances, and/or parasites. All of these factors need to be screened for and addressed before lasting relief can be achieved. Sulfa drugs, lithium, synthetic estrogen, and antihistamines can exacerbate hypothyroidism symptoms. In addition, if you are on thyroid medication, increase calcium supplementation to reduce the risk of bone loss. --------------------------------------… Natural Cures Broda Barnes Home Thyroid Test: The following simple test was developed by Broda Barnes, one of the first physicians to recognize the widespread incidence of hypothyroidism. Place a thermometer by the side of your bed before you go to sleep. In the morning before getting out of bed, lie still and place the thermometer under your armpit for 15 minutes, then check your temperature. A temperature below 97.5° F may indicate a problem with the thyroid gland. Take the temperature in this manner for three days, except for the first few days of the menstrual cycle and the middle day of the cycle, and calculate the average temperature. If it is consistently low, it is an indicator that your have hypothyroidism. The lower your body temperature is, the greater your degree of hypothyroidism. Diet: Eat an organic, whole foods diet, emphasizing foods that are naturally high in iodine such as fish, kelp, vegetables, and root vegetables (such as potatoes). Also, increase your daily consumption of foods rich in vitamin B complex, such as whole grains and raw nuts and seeds, and foods rich in vitamin A, such as dark green and yellow vegetables. But avoid foods that slow down production of thyroid hormone, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, broccoli, turnips, kale, spinach, peaches, and pears. Herbs: Mild cases of hypothyroidism can be helped by herbal bitters such as gentian or mugwort, while constipation due to low thyroid function can be improved by yellowdock, butternut, or cascara sagrada. St. John`s wort can also be helpful. Homeopathy: Calc carb. in a dose of 1M once a day is very useful for treating hypothyroidism and improving overall thyroid function. Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the application of water, ice, steam and hot and cold temperatures to maintain and restore health. Treatments include full body immersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the application of hot and/or cold compresses. Hydrotherapy is effective for treating a wide range of conditions and can easily be used in the home as part of a self-care program. Many Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists and Day Spas use Hydrotherapy as part of treatment. *Purified water is essential for any hydrotherapy treatment. Remedies for Treating Chlorinated Bath Water offers clear instructions and recommendations. Lifestyle: Regular aerobic exercise can play an important role in helping to regulate thyroid hormone production. Nutritional Supplementation: Organic thyroid glandular extracts can help restore normal thyroid function, but should only be used under the supervision of your physician. Other useful nutrients include vitamin A, vitamin B complex, essential fatty acids, iodine, kelp, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Best of health to you. Cheers

Question: What is atypical thymoma? I just want to learn what this is. My brother will be having surgery soon. Please share any information you may have about this condition. Thank you.

Answer: I don't mean to shock or scare you, but it is a type of cancer or pre-cancerous tumor. The thymus is a gland that sits on/near the heart. It is largest and probably most active during childhood, and shrinks as a person gets older. It is involved in developing specialized cells of the immune system. A thymoma is uncontrolled growth of the cells of the thymus gland. There are several different types of thymoma, and they can result in many different outcomes for the patient. The doctors should be able to tell from the surgery (and tests after it) how your brother will do. WebMD.com is a great site for finding information about medical conditions. I would suggest you read about thymoma there. You could also look in Wikipedia for more information.

Question: Do Thymoma cause you to gain weight? I had a Thymectomy Dec 07. The doctor removed my thymus gland.

Answer: Are you being treated with chemotherapy? Sometimes the treatments used to treat cancers can cause weight gain. Though the inactivity that comes from surgeries and the tiredness of all you've been through can cause you to gain simply because you aren't burning the fat like you did before. The gland establishes the immune system from gestation to puberty then begins to shrink. I don't think it plays any role in weight but little is known about any other fuction. If you are concerned about your weight gain talk to your doctor about ways to stay active and maintain weight.

Question: Whom should one see when you have Bronciectasis and autoimmune liver disease from having had a thymoma removed

Answer: I would agree with the above, talk to your doctor and he should give you a couple of good names about who to see. The only person I could think of would be an immunologist.

Question: Has anyone heard of Thymoma, if so describe?

Answer: Here is a good overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymoma