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Vol.42 No.2 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Case Report -
A Case of Invasive Thymoma With Cancer-associated Retinopathy
Yutaka Takahashi1,3, Takashi Nakashima1, Takanobu Kobayashi1, Jiro Tamada1, Mistugu Ohmasa21Department of Chest Surgery, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Japan, 2Department of Chest Surgery, Kyoto University Hospital, Japan and 3Dr. Takahashi is now with Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kobe City General Hospital, Japan
Background. Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) is one of the paraneoplastic syndromes and is characterized by retinal degeneration. CAR is often associated with epithelial cancers, mostly small-cell lung carcinoma. We describe the second report of CAR associated with invasive thymoma. Case. A 41-year-old woman was admitted for visual disturbance. Chest X-ray film and CT scanning images showed a mediastinal tumor. In her serum anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody was elevated and CAR autoantibody was detected. CAR and thymoma with myasthenia gravis were diagnosed, and steroid pulse therapy was performed. Her visual disturbance progressed but the tumor diminished. She underwent extended thymectomy and resection of the mediastinal tumor, which was invasive thymoma. After operation radiotherapy and steroid therapy were performed. Ten months after operation CAR autoantibody was negative, but her visual loss had not improved. Conclusion. CAR is often associated with lung cancer, but may occur in a patient with invasive thymoma.
key words: Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR), Invasive thymoma
Received: June 11, 2001
Accepted: January 21, 2002
JJLC 42 (2): 119-123, 2002
