Thymoma with Pemphigus Foliaceus

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 39; no. 9; pp. 742 - 747
• Main Authors: TAKESHITA, Kei, AMANO, Maki, SHIMIZU, Takayuki, OYAMADA, Yoshitaka, ABIKO, Tomohiro, KOBAYASHI, Koichi, FUTEI, Yuko, AMAGAI, Masayuki, KURAMOCHI, Shigeru, ASANO, Koichiro, YAMAGUCHI, Kazuhiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 2000; Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
• Subjects: Aged; anti-desmoglein 1 antibody; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Bullous diseases of the skin; Cytoskeletal Proteins - blood; Dermatology; Desmogleins; Desmoplakins; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Pemphigus - complications; Pemphigus - pathology; Pemphigus - surgery; Pneumology; Radiography, Thoracic; Thymectomy; Thymoma - complications; Thymoma - diagnosis; Thymoma - surgery; Thymus Neoplasms - complications; Thymus Neoplasms - diagnosis; Thymus Neoplasms - surgery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Bullous dermatosis; Human; Immunopathology; Skin disease; Thymoma; Mediastinum disease; Pemphigus foliaceous; Autoimmune disease; Thymus pathology; Case study; Improvement; Thymectomy; Surgery; Tumor; Female; Diagnosis
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.39.742

A 75-year-old Japanese woman was referred to us because of an anterior mediastinal mass. Crusts and shallow erosions developed 10 months earlier on her upper chest, back, and scalp. Pemphigus foliaceus was diagnosed based on histological examination of skin biopsy specimens and positivity for serum anti-desmoglein 1 antibody by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Neurological examination and electromyography ruled out myasthenia gravis. Total thymectomy was performed, and the postoperative pathology studies showed mixed lymphoepithelial thymoma. One year after the resection, the eruption and alopecia improved and the serum anti-desmoglein 1 antibody titer decreased, suggesting a beneficial effect of thymectomy on thymomarelated pemphigus. (Internal Medicine 39: 742-747, 2000)