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Is Mesothelioma Connected to Myasthenia Gravis ?
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Depending on the stage of mesothelioma, it can cause a variety of issues, especially if it metastasizes to other areas of the body. There have been rare cases in which mesothelioma presents itself simultaneously with myasthenia gravis.
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness of the skeletal muscles. Often, this presents itself as droopiness in the eyelids and facial expressions, as well as difficulty chewing, swallowing, and talking. In some instances, the muscles that control neck and limb movements, as well as the muscles that control breathing, can also be affected.[1]
Both mesothelioma and myasthenia gravis are exceedingly rare diseases. As such, there is only one known case of both diseases presenting themselves simultaneously.[2] It is unknown at this time whether myasthenia gravis was caused by mesothelioma, or if it was a rare chance. However, if the simultaneous occurrence of mesothelioma and myasthenia gravis was more than chance, researchers believe further cases will be described in the future.
Metastases of mesothelioma to the thymus, as well as mesothelioma that develops directly in the thymus[3], can mimic symptoms of a thymoma. A thymoma is a tumor that originates in the thymus. In about one third of cases of thymoma, myasthenia gravis is present.[4] The thymus is a gland behind the breastbone that controls immune function.
Though it’s clear that the thymus gland affects the development of myasthenia, why the gland is involved is not clear. A prevailing theory is that the thymus gland may give incorrect instructions in the development of immune cells, which causes the immune system to attack itself. Because of the thymus gland’s proximity to the lungs, mesothelioma may spread to it and other nearby structures by stage IIIA.[5]
[1] https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Myasthenia-Gravis-Fact-Sheet
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1457761/
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959804912001840
[4] https://www.cancernetwork.com/cancer-management/small-cell-lung-cancer-mesothelioma-and-thymoma/page/0/2
[5] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/malignant-mesothelioma/detection-diagnosis-staging/staging.html
