People with thymoma often have no symptoms but may have chest-related complaints such as a cough, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing and chest pain or tightness. If the tumor is very large, the neck and face may be swollen because of an obstruction of the superior vena cave (superior vena caval syndrome).
The associated diseases or syndromes also produce a variety of symptoms. The predominant symptom of muscle weakness found with myasthenia gravis is especially noted in the eyelids. Severe depression of the red cells (pure red cell aplasia) in 5 percent of patients with thymoma leads to severe anemia , and 5 to 10 percent have a low gamma globulin level. Signs and symptoms of other autoimmune or endocrine disorders can lead to the diagnosis.
