[Surgery of the thymus gland, normal, atrophied or cancerous]

Thymoma is the most frequently resected mediastinal tumor. Its malignancy is related more to macroscopical findings than to microscopical analysis. All thymomas should be resected, in order to prevent malignant degeneration. Furthermore, for the treatment of myasthenia, several centers recommend resection of the thymus, either tumoral (thymoma) or atrophied. Although the role of surgery in this regard is controversial, all authors unanimously stress that complete resection of all thymic remnants is essential to achieve adequate results.