Thymic hyperplasia in adults following chemotherapy for malignancy.

BACKGROUND

The accuracy of the assessment of patients with malignant disease and of their response to chemotherapy has been significantly improved with the routine availability of computerized tomography (CT) scanning. CT abnormalities, however, may be non-specific, especially after chemotherapy. Rebound enlargement of the thymus gland after chemotherapy induced atrophy is one cause of an abnormal thoracic CT scan on re-staging.

AIMS: This phenomenon has previously been reported mainly in relation to the treatment of lymphoma and germ cell cancers. This paper highlights the occurrence of thymic hyperplasia after chemotherapy in these and other tumour types.

METHODS

We discuss five cases including three patients with malignancies other than lymphoma in whom thymus enlargement occurred during or after intensive chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Clear identification of the nature of CT abnormalities after chemotherapy, particularly in the mediastinum, is required prior to embarking on further anti-cancer treatments.