Thymus Gland removed...Can it grow back?
 

Hello, I,m 36 and had my Thymus Gland fully removed in 1999.The procedure was through the Breast Bone.....Non Cancer..And not M.G. .This spring I started having the same chest pain and lumpish feeling back in my throat again...I requested a Cat Scan and the results are showing a shadow...My surgeon,another Dr. and 3 techs are not sure if they are seeing another tumor or scar tissue....I had another Cat Scan 3wks ago and still waiting to get the resylts...I want to prepare myself with questions when I go in to see my Dr. Here is my Question...Has anyone ever heard of a NON Cancer Thymus Gland removed able to grow back?...OR ....Has anyone on this forum ever have it removed and have scar tissue to grow and cause the same symptoms..Any help or places for to read would be GREATLY Appriected!..Karen.

Hi Lizzie..Thanks for the note...I did google it ..But the only thing I seem to get is patients who have had removed and it being cancer...then there is a certain percentage of it coming back...But in my case...Mine was benign...Thank my Lord for that...I called my surgen yesterday the receptionist tells me that my second Cat Scan report said Patient has shadow and should follow up with further Cat Scans,...And that is all they tell me...I think i,m about ready to take a plane and go get a second opinion in Toronto....Frustrated...Karen

Hi Lizzie...Thanks for looking....Well, I broke down and called the Dr.2 days ago figuring 3 wks was long enogh to get my results back in his office..Receptionist informs me. Yes, the results are back...ANNNND I ask!....She reads me the report..Patient stills has mass and should follow up with future Cat Scans...So, I kindly asked her to ask the Dr. to call me or set up an appointment...I would like to know if it there is any change in the shadow...Is it darker looking, is it bigger, is it smaller?.Do I have to wait for another 6 months for a 3rd Cat Scan?...Then I will have to make a decision whether to leave the province and go for a second opinion...
What kind of problems are you having? My best friend has had a constant cough for 1 year now and they see spots but have know idea what they are...She can't laugh without coughing up flem...
Good luck with seeing your specialist and Thanks Again for trying to help me....Karen

I,m trying to find articles for you also. I think there is something about residual thymus. If I find I will write back.

Try this thymoma.de/starthere.htm
Even though it is about cancer, that is all I could find. It does though have patient stories and maybe you can get some answers there. Looking around there is a doctor there listed who is expert. Maybe you could e-mail him for advise. I will keep poking around too. Good luck.

thymus
 

I also had a Thymoma removed in 2001, upon diagnosis of MG. I went to UCLA and saw Dr. Robert Mulder. I believe that he is the best. I know that it takes years to see the results of your Thymectomy. If removed properly it should not grow back. As you know though, MG is sooo very different for every individual. I do know that anxciety is a huge factor when dealing with this and mind over matter will make a humungous difference in your recovery. So, Think possitive and follow up with a doctor that you trust>>
Good Luck, Vicky

I just joined and seen the post, and reminded me of my visit at the begining of the month. I had my thymus gland removed in 2004 and was told they got it all. Then I had a scan done a little while ago and it shows that I still have some of it left. My specialist told me that it was possible that the surgen could have missed some of it because they don't grow in 1 solid gland. There could be little bits growing to the side or what ever and not be seen as was my case. Now I'm waiting to hear from the surgen again to see if he wants to remove the rest.

Hi Mrs M
Are You still looking for answers to your Thymus question?
I originally had mine removed when I was 16 by a very renowned
surgeon at Mt.Sinaii in NYC.When I was 32 CT scans revealed that
it had grown back---or"rejuvenated"was the term the Drs used the.
At neither time did I have a Thymoma.
Curiously,I have since had problems with my thyroid glands---hyper/hypo and now I have a growth about the size of small plum
called a cold nodule on my thyroid.Thank goodness its benign.
So even tho the regrowth is rare its not unheard of.
Hope I helped,somewhat.

from a logical thymus shouldn't be able to grow back
 

HI Ms. M,

The thymus is a organ that is essential in childhood in helping the infant/child devlop thier immune system. It is the organ where all of the mother's antibodies are stored (or at least concentrated in that area) and it serves as the command center for the immune system during the formative years of life. Over time this thymus is SUPPOSED to atrophy and eventually (i think my doctor said by age 40) be replaced by adipose tissue (fat) through a process called apoptosis. The problem in MG is that they thymus doesn't go away like it is supposed to and infact sometimes it actually becomes hyperplasic (enlarged) or devlops thyromas (tumors). Thyromas can be begin OR malignant. Because you had a begin tumor before does not rule out the possiblity of the tumor itself growing back. In fact in many people with MG if there was a thyroma present then sometimes it does grow back. Also i was reading the literature (medical) the other day and there has been a very recent discovery that there is such a thing as MICROthyromas. these are little microscopic tumors that reside in the thymus and surrounding tissue and it takes an extreamly high powered microscope to see them. back when you had the histology (analysis) of your tumor done in 1999 they did not know about micro thyromas and thus would have likely concluded that even if the thymus was enlarged that it was only "swollen" when in fact that could be b/c there might have been lots of microscopic thyromas in addition to what ever other abnormalities were discovered. If one of those micro thyromas were left in your chest (b/c like i said they not only invade the thymus but also the surrounding tissue) then it would seem possible that over the past 9 years that the micro thyroma grew until it filled up the hole. Thyromas are thymic derrrivitave tissue (basicly thymic tissue that gets really confused as to what it is supposed to be doing) and it is basicly a area of abnormal cell clustering (which the type of cells that cluster in a thyroma determine if it is benign or malignant).

please understand, i AM NOT A DOCTOR and I AM NOT A NURSE or even a medical professional. I majored in psychology in college and took 5 physiolgical psych and regular phsyio classes. I am an avid literature researcher (especially in the area of MG) and i am currently doing literature research on thymectomies b/c i am considered as a canidate for a thymectomy as i have MG and a severe form of it and my thymus is hyperplasic (enlarged). so most of what i have just told you is based up on extensive literature searches and discussions with my own surgen at Medical College in Augusta, Georgia, USA.. You may want to print this reply and take it with you to your surgeon b/c i certainly do not claim to know everything and i would feel much better if you ran this hypothesis by him and see what he thinks. if need be i can send you the link to the article about the micro thyromas (if i can find it again). just message me thorugh neurotalk and let me know if you need/want additional info (though i have about exhausted my knowledge base in this reply).

Hope this helps!
sincerely, bobcat :hug:

Hi Bobcat...
Thank you so much for that post...The last 2 post have been have been inspiring...If I can say that without sounding sick in the head...lol..When your having pain, frustrated and feel like the Dr's are not sure how to deal with me cause they havent had a case like mine..having this type of Tumor returning ....It kind of gives me hope that if I go get a second opinion that I maybe I won't be going for nothing...even though that was a very Brutal surgery...I would go through it again rather than having good days and bad and on the bads...living on Oxycodine..If it becomes a long attack...My body rejects that pain killer by making my itchy and then I have to take demerol which does'nt work as well and then I start to loose weight and end up in bed more with pain...Until it settles down..

This sight has helped me not feel like I,m alone in this battle and guided me to some very helpful information...Thank You everyone!...Mrs.M

thymus grown back?
 

Hi, I know this post I'm replying to is old now, but I had my thymus removed in 1992 even though there was no problem with it (it was done as part of another operation) and now, 17 years later I had been found to have an enlarged thymus - possibly a thymoma, so obvioulsy they can grow back. Unfortunately mine has grown back abnormal and I wish they'd never touched it in the first place. (the neuro says there's a chance it is scar tissue).I have MG-like symptoms, but it hasn't been confirmed. Now that want to take the thymus out!

Hi Rachary, and welcome to NeuroTalk.

You're right in saying this is an old post, and I'm concerned that your own post might get lost because your's is tacked onto the end of a thread that people may no longer frequent.

Have you considered starting your own thread so you can get replies just for you?

Removal of the thymus MAY help attenuate MG symptoms. In most cases there is little effect. It's like sticking pins in a cupie doll. Medication is the only guarantee...and it is a guarantee if sufficient doses of appropriate drugs are used. I have come to near death with this disease and only by the grace of God and lots of chemicals did I recover. Avoid surgery at all costs. It is frightfully invasive and has little chance of benefit.

I'M new to this post thing
 

I have been trying to find out about ectopic thymus and how it can grow back this is my problem....I had been going to the gym and running on the treadmill when I started having chest pain. When I checked my heart rate it was real high even when I tried to walk slow it was at 203 so my friends convinced me to go to hosp to make a long boring story short they found a mass in my neck they thought it was my thyroid. So I get referred to specialist and he did another cat scan and said the same thing at this point the mass was 3cm we scheduled surgery for two months later because I was getting married. When the Dr open me up to do thyroid surgery he got a big shock when he found this big mass which was now 5cm and pushing on my heart he was able to remove it threw the incision he made on my neck and told my husband and I that we were lucky because usually they have to crack your chest for this problem. Well it's been a year and 1 month since I had the surgery and its back. I went for follow up after having baby and Dr Thought it was thyroid again and sent me back to specialist he ordered an ultra sound of my neck and I have a 4cm egg like mass pushing on my wind pipe. The specialist told me he doesn’t want to do the surgery on me and is sending me to Birmingham to another Dr. Has anyone else heard of this growing so fast and is there another way for them to remove this I've had my fair share of surgeries and I feel like I'm playing Russian roulette by having another one.
Thanks for listing and sorry for the long story :eek:

I have heard if they do not get it all, yes it can. Thats why most Doctors when removing like to open you totally to make sure they get it all.

Hi Ishyanna,

welcome to Neurotalk!!

Wow sounds like you've been through alot lately. I can't help you with this, as I havn't had any problems with my thymus(had it removed in 2003)
Hope you get the answers you are looking for
Kate

Hi Ishyanna!
Welcome to the forum. I'm a little confused. Are you having problems on the thyroid in your neck and the thymus in your chest at the same time?

Thymus can grow back if tissue remains after removal, and I have a woman I work with that had a cancerous node on her thyroid that was removed and they keep checking to make sure that doesn't grow back. I suppose living tissue anywhere in the body can regrow if there is anything at all for it to start from.

I hope you get all the answers you need, and the proper treatment. You'll really enjoy our forum. Lots of wonderful and knowlegeable people. It's helped me a lot!

thanks for the suport :)
 

My thyroid is fine it's just this growth in my neck. I go to Dr on tuesday so I hope they can tell me what is going on..

sick off being sick
 

Hi how are you . Well i have had it all thymus gland, myasthenia gravis.cancer beauase of this .well can thymus gland grow back and how fast?

Hi ebathbb2!
 

Welcome beth! You had cancer of the thymus? Have you had radiation therapy? What med are you on? Hopefully Brennan, Annie, Becky or Neutro will be able to help with your question......I had my thymus removed but dod not have cancer.

I am so sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. Do you have a good dr?

Can't wait to hear from you!

Erin:D:hug:

I have read if they don't get all of it that part of it can grow back. I guess a CT scan would show that.

Hi ebethbb2,

Welcome to the group! I also read that if any was missed it could grow back, but it dosen't happen very often. Are you concerned that this has happened to you? I would think a CT scan would be able to confirm that. When did you have your thymectomy? Would like to know more of your story when you feel comfortable. Everyone here is very supportive and helpful. Hope to hear from you. Take care.;)

Hugs,
Pat

Thymus regrowth
 

Hi...I was diagnosed with MG in 1998 and had my thymus removed....after 10 yrs, I finally went into remission,however symptoms started to return in October of 2014. I saw my new neurologist 2 days ago 5/12/2015 and he asked if I'd had any scans done to check for a regrowth of my thymus....which I have not. He stated that yes, it can grow back...

Thymus Gland grown back??
 

I got on this site because I had the same question. I have M.G. and my speech had gotten so thick I couldn't talk and eating and swallowing were hard. I had my thymus gland removed in April 2008 and now I am having the same problems that I had before the surgery. I must take a drink of something after every bite because it only goes down so far when I swallow...liquid, especially carbonated, wants to go up my nose. I cannot control my tongue as well. It has become such a chore to eat that even if I'm hungry, I dread it and as soon as I get the least bit satisfied, I stop. The only good outcome of this is I'm losing weight..down to 192. I have a new neurologist I'm seeing in Febuary and I will ask him. I'm taking care of my mother who has ALZ and it's increasingly frustrating. She is hard of hearing and for her to understand me I must raise my voice a little...this is very tiring plus sometimes she perceives it as me being angry with her and I have to explain it. I am getting so tired. I'm glad I found this place where I can come and talk to those who share my frustrations. I also have eye droop, double vision and get out of breath easily. Thanks for reading this. I'm good at writing novels. LOL

Thymus regrowth
 

Hi, I'm new to this site and could not for the life of me figure out how to start a new post. I did find this post, and even though it is old, it applied to my concern.

I was diagnosed with MG in 1992 and had a trans-sternal thymectomy that same year. There was no thymoma. I have had several short live remissions over the years, as well as a few hospitalizations for exacerbations. Over all I have done pretty well on Mestinon, which I am currently on. Over the last few months I have had to increase my dosage by more than double and still struggle with symptoms.

I have had significant shortness of breath and a feeling of pressure in my sternum.

My neurologist is having me get a CT with contrast to see if the thymus gland has re-grown.

My question is: Is there an increased chance of a thymoma (either cancerous or benign) in a re-grown thymus? There is a crazy amount of cancer in my family history.

I have searched the internet for an answer and can't seem to find one. Does anyone have any information on this? Thank you in advance for any information you could direct me toward.