[Paraneoplastic phenomena in patients with a thymoma]

Abstract

A thymoma arises from the epithelial cells of the thymus. Local tumour growth may cause symptoms like coughing, dyspnoea or chest pain. Paraneoplastic phenomena can also occur in patients with a thymoma; myasthenia gravis is a well-known example. Other neurological, dermatological, cardiological and haematological disorders are not always recognised as being paraneoplastic phenomena. There is no clear relationship between tumour activity and the clinical course of paraneoplastic phenomena. The three cases in this article illustrate how the clinical presentation of these phenomena can vary.