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1: Ann Hematol. 1998 Oct;77(4):175-8.Click here to read Links
Comment in:
Ann Hematol. 2000 Nov;79(11):648-50.

Thymoma-associated pancytopenia: effectiveness of cyclosporine A.

Liozon E, Touati M, Allegraud A, Gachard N, Loustaud V, Vidal E, Bordessoule D.

Service de Médecine Interne A, CHRU Dupuytren, Limoges, France.

Aplastic anemia is a rare complication of thymoma and is properly documented in only few cases. Here, we report the case of a previously healthy, 65-year-old patient who was found simultaneously to have a spindle-cell thymoma and severe hypoplastic anemia with a mild infiltration of the bone marrow by CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD16+ natural killer cells, and a decrease in blood CD4/CD8 ratio. Cultures of marrow erythroid progenitors demonstrated serum inhibitor. While steroids, cyclophosphamide and antilymphocyte globulin failed to improve hematopoiesis, cyclosporine A (Cy-A) led to a partial, stable remission that was sustained for 4 years. Since Cy-A has been associated with good responses in three cases of thymoma-associated red cell aplasia, we recommend its use in cases of thymoma-associated cytopenias refractory to steroids and cyclophosphamide.

PMID: 9829850 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Patient Drug Information

  • Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan® , Neosar® )

    Your doctor has ordered the drug cyclophosphamide to help treat your illness. The drug can be taken by mouth in tablet form or be given by injection into a vein.

  • Cyclosporine (Neoral® , Sandimmune® , Gengraf® )

    Cyclosporine and cyclosporine (modified) are used with other medications to prevent transplant rejection (attack of the transplanted organ by the immune system of the person who received the organ) in people who have rec...

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