Symptoms of thymus cancer
Thymus cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms in its early stages. Signs and symptoms often appear as the tumour grows and causes changes in the body. In some cases, symptoms can be caused by something associated with a tumour (paraneoplastic syndromes). Other health conditions can cause the same symptoms as thymus cancer.
The signs and symptoms of thymus cancer include:
- a cough that doesn’t go away
- chest pain
- difficulty breathing (also called shortness of breath)
- a hoarse voice
- loss of appetite
- difficulty swallowing
- Horner syndrome – a rare condition that affects the nerves of the eyes and causes small pupils, a drooping eyelid, sinking of an eyeball into the face and less sweating on the face
Superior vena cava syndrome is a serious problem that can happen in some cases of thymus cancer. It is a cancer-related emergency that needs to be treated right away. Superior vena cava syndrome is a group of symptoms that may happen when a thymus tumour presses on the superior vena cava, which is the large vein that carries blood from the upper body to the heart. Symptoms of superior vena cava syndrome include swelling of the face, neck, arms and chest, difficulty breathing, headache and dizziness. Find out more about superior vena cava syndrome.
Symptoms of paraneoplastic syndromes @(Model.HeadingTag)>
A paraneoplastic syndrome is a group of symptoms caused by substances released by a tumour or by an abnormal
The following are the most common paraneoplastic syndromes associated with thymus cancer.
Myasthenia gravis is a rare
- weakness in the neck, arms and legs
- drooping eyelids
- vision problems, such as blurred or double vision
- a hoarse voice
- difficulty speaking
- difficulty swallowing
- difficulty breathing
Red cell aplasia is a rare condition where the
- fatigue and a lack of energy
- pale skin
- weakness
- difficulty breathing
- dizziness
Hypogammaglobulinemia is a condition when the body doesn’t have enough