A thymoma is a tumor of the thymus gland that usually grows slowly and causes no symptoms for a long time. That is why it is often found by chance — during a chest CT scan.
📊 According to statistics, thymomas account for up to 20% of all mediastinal tumors. They are most common after the age of 30.
🔍 The exact causes are not known, but there are risk factors — carcinogens, viruses, immune disorders and injuries.
📌 As the tumor grows, symptoms appear:
- chest pain and pressure
- shortness of breath, hoarseness
- dilated veins, heart rhythm changes
- difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, weakness
Surgical treatment methods:
🔹 Open thymectomy — through an incision in the breastbone (sternotomy)
🔹 VATS thymectomy — a modern minimally invasive method performed through small incisions between the ribs using a video camera.
✅ VATS has clinically important advantages:
- less trauma
- faster recovery
- less pain after surgery
- fewer complications
- a better cosmetic result
‼️ However, VATS is not possible in every case — it all depends on medical indications.
Oleksandr Vynnychenko and Ruslana Moskalenko, doctors at the Sumy Regional Clinical Oncology Center, have completed training in VATS thymectomy at the Feofaniia Clinical Hospital.
We are introducing modern treatment standards for the safety and quality of life of our patients 💙
