Thymic Hyperplasia

I was diagnosed with stage IIIC OC in October 2007. Had complete cytoreduction, followed by 8 rounds of carbo/taxol. My CA-125 after surgery ( before 1st chemo ) was 16, then dropped to 7 after 2 treatments, and has been at 6 ever since. I completed treatments in April 2008 and had first post-treatment CT-Scan in August. Was told that other than a few spots that are most likely scar tissue, my CT Scan was normal. At a recent appointment, I received ( upon my asking ) a copy of the CT Scan Report. In addition to the information I already knew, the report indicated my chest area included a triangular mass of thymic tissue, consistent with thymic hyperplasia. I asked my doctor about it and he said it is common in children, but rae in adults my age ( I'm 50 ), and he said it ws nothing to worry about. Well....that is easier said than done. I'd like to know what is thymic hyperplasia, what causes it, and is it something to be concerned about ?

[Cindy809]

There is a lot of information out there about thymic hyperplasia.  The following is the only article I could find that matches your doctors answer:

Title: Mediastinal Masses Diagnosed as Thymus Hyperplasia by Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology  
Authors:  Markus Bangerter, M.D., Wolfgang Behnisch, M.D., and Martin Griesshammer, M.D.  
  OBJECTIVE: Thymic hyperplasia in the anterior mediastinum can occur in healthy children as idiopathic thymic hyperplasia or as a rebound effect after administration of chemotherapy in patients with malignancies. Thymic hyperplasia after chemotherapy is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly in children and less frequently in adults. Both forms of thymic hyperplasia are a diagnostic challenge, and most patients undergo surgical exploration. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has supposed to be inadequate to diagnose benign thymic hyperplasia and to seperate it from malignant disease. STUDY DESIGN: We report the cytologic findings on eight patients presenting with a mass in the anterior mediastinum that was diagnosed as thymic hyperplasia on FNAC. In five patients the masses developed after chemotherapy. The remaining three patients were healthy children. Three patients underwent ultrasound-guided aspiration; in five cases the procedure was performed under computerized guidance. RESULTS: In all eight patients the cytologic smears showed a mixed population of lymphoid cells. Cytologic diagnosis of thymic hyperplasia was confirmed by immunophenotyping in three patients and by follow-up studies in all of them (median, 68 months; range, 8-113)  ..... Can you bring this to your next appointment with your doctor and ask him about the details?  It doesn't seem like you should be concerned about. It would be a courteous and respectful for your doctor to explain it to you....Cindy

[sassysurvivor]

Thank you. You found more info than me. From what I've read it doesn't sound like a bad thing ( possibly even a good thing ? ), but there doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there. I meet with with my gy onc next week, and hopefully, he can give me more info.