Recurrent thymoma with stiff-person syndrome and pure red blood cell aplasia

Abstract

Stiff-person syndrome (formerly known as stiff-man syndrome) is a very rare autoimmune and neurogenic disorder, thought to present as a paraneoplastic variant in association with thymoma. Pure red blood cell aplasia is also a paraneoplastic disorder associated with thymoma. Although separate cases of stiff-person syndrome and pure red blood cell aplasia have been reported, we describe here what is to our knowledge the first case of recurrent thymoma with both stiff-person syndrome and pure red blood cell aplasia. We describe the successful treatment of the neurogenic symptoms of stiff-person syndrome and the progressive anemia associated with pure red blood cell aplasia by tumor excision.