Pure Red Cell Aplasia That Developed 13 Years After Thymoma Treatment: A Case Report and Literature Review

A 47-year-old woman was diagnosed with invasive thymoma 13 years ago. She had undergone repeated surgeries, as well as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy was discontinued after the patient developed normocytic anemia, which was unresponsive to repeated blood transfusions. Bone marrow biopsy results revealed pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). Cyclosporine treatment led to improvement in PRCA; however, the patient died 3 years later from an invasive pneumococcal infection. The onset of thymoma-associated PRCA remains unpredictable, and a significant delay may occur between the diagnosis of the two conditions.