Successful Treatment of a Patient with a Thymoma and Pure Red-Cell Aplasia with Octreotide and Prednisone

Abstract

Thymomas are rare epithelial neoplasms frequently associated with myasthenia gravis, hypogammaglobulinemia, and pure red-cell aplasia.^1-11 In pure red-cell aplasia, autoantibodies against early and late erythroid-cell progenitors or erythropoietin, as well as inhibitory cellular immune mechanisms, have been implicated.^9-11 Limited information suggests that patients with pure red-cell aplasia and thymoma have a poor prognosis.^6,7,10