Anonaunt's World

> The dr said i have a 6 cm (size of a quarter) mass in my thymus
> gland which is shown on the attachment.  I looked online for the
> best descripton.  I found this on www.webmd.com
> [http://www.webmd.com/] -- its a good tool.  The dr said he
> would recommend to have surgery within 2-5 weeks.  He will
> consult with 2 other doctors (surgeons) if it can hold off until
> we come back from our vacation on July 22 or do it earlier. 
> they will treat it as a heart surgery because they will have to
> do surgery on the chest bone to get to the thymus tumor- it is
> behind the chestbone. It will be done at Central Baptist Hospital in
> Lexington.

> Thymoma

> What are thymoma and thymic carcinoma?

> Thymoma and thymic carcinoma are diseases in which cancer
> (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the thymus. The
> thymus is a small organ that lies under the breastbone. It makes
> white blood cells called lymphocytes that travel through the body
> and fight infection. Thymoma is usually a slow-growing tumor that
> does not spread beyond the thymus. Thymic carcinoma, however, is
> difficult to treat and generally spreads to other parts of the
> body. People with thymoma often have other diseases of the immune
> system, most commonly myasthenia gravis, a disease in which the
> muscles become weak.

> A doctor should be seen if a person has the following symptoms:

> A cough that won’t go away.
> Pain in the chest.
> Weakness in the muscles.

> If there are symptoms, the doctor may take an x-ray of the chest.
> The doctor may also do a CT scan, a special x-ray that uses a
> computer to make a picture of part of the body.

> The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment depend
> on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the thymus or
> has spread to other places), the types of cells found in the
> cancer, and the patient’s general state of health.

> Stages of thymoma

> Once thymoma is found, more tests will be done to find out if
> cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This is
> called staging. A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease
> to plan treatment. The following staging system may be used for
> thymoma:

> Stage I: Cancer is found only within the thymus gland and the sac
> that surrounds it.
> Stage II: Cancer has spread into fat surrounding the thymus or
> into the lining of the lung cavity.
> Stage III: Cancer has spread into organs near the thymus, such as
> the lung, the sac around the heart, and the blood vessels.
> Stage IVa: Cancer has spread deeper into the sac around the heart
> or lungs.
> Stage IVb: Cancer has spread through the vessels carrying blood
> or lymph.

> Stage I thymoma is also called noninvasive thymoma. Stages II
> through IVb thymoma are also called invasive thymoma.

> Treatment Option Overview

> How thymoma and thymic carcinoma are treated

> There are treatments for all patients with thymoma and thymic
> carcinoma. Three kinds of treatment are used:

> Surgery (taking out the cancer in an operation).
> Radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy
> rays to kill cancer cells).
> Hormone therapy (using hormones to stop cancer cells from growing).

> Chemotherapy (using drugs to kill cancer cells) is being studied
> in clinical trials.

> Surgery to remove the tumor is the most common treatment. A
> doctor also may take out additional tissue around the cancer.

> Radiation therapy uses x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill
> cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation treatment for thymoma
> or thymic carcinoma usually comes from a machine outside the body
> (external-beam radiation therapy). Radiation therapy can be used
> alone, following surgery, or combined with chemotherapy.

> If the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time
> of the operation, the patient may be given radiation therapy
> after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Radiation
> therapy given after an operation when no cancer cells can be seen
> is called adjuvant radiation therapy.

> Hormone therapy uses hormones to stop cancer cells from growing.
> Hormones called steroids may be given to stop the tumor from
> growing.

> Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be
> taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the
> vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment
> because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the
> body, and can kill cancer cells outside the thymus.

> Noninvasive Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma

> Treatment may be one of the following:

> Surgery to remove the cancer.
> Radiation therapy in rare cases.

> Invasive Thymoma and Thymic Carcinoma

> Treatment may be one of the following:

> Surgery to remove the cancer followed by adjuvant radiation therapy.
> Radiation therapy alone, if the cancer cannot be removed by surgery.
> A clinical trial of chemotherapy.
> A clinical trial of chemotherapy followed by surgery.
> A clinical trial of chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy
> if the cancer cannot be removed by surgery.

☆~Sari~☆®
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☆~Sari~☆®

☆~Sari~☆®

☆~Sari~☆®

Posted by: ~Tazette~ / 6/29/2005 11:10:00 AM