Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41696676›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in neurological disorders2026

Thymectomy with or without maintenance therapy for myasthenia gravis patients: a tri-center, real-world study.

Hao Zhang, Moli Fan, Yutong Shi, Xiaoyu Huang, Ying Cui, Zihao Yu, Chun-Sheng Yang, Hui-Ning Li, Xiao-He Zhang, Peng Liu and 3 more

Abstract read
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Article in Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Hao ZhangDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Moli FanDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Yutong ShiDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Xiaoyu HuangDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Ying CuiDepartment of Neurology, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Zihao YuDepartment of Neurology, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Chun-Sheng YangDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0846-2851
Hui-Ning LiDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Xiao-He ZhangMyasthenia Gravis Center, People's Hospital Shijiazhuang, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Peng LiuMyasthenia Gravis Center, People's Hospital Shijiazhuang, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Ti WuDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Fu-Dong ShiDepartment of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300000, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9675-4637
Guo-Yan QiMyasthenia Gravis Center, People's Hospital Shijiazhuang, No. 365 Jianhua St., Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9218-3219

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The necessity and optimal duration of post-thymectomy immunoregulatory medication (IM) in myasthenia gravis (MG) remain unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate whether IM is required after thymectomy in MG patients and to determine the appropriate duration of IM in patients without postoperative deterioration by comparing long-term clinical outcomes. Design: This triple-center, retrospective study included 1248 MG patients who underwent thymectomy. Among these patients, we compared outcomes between 483 patients without post-thymectomy IM and 765 patients receiving IM. Methods: Efficacy outcomes included post-thymectomy deterioration and minimal manifestation status (MMS) at 1 year. Safety outcomes, tumor growth, and serious complications were assessed between groups. Subgroup analyses were performed in mild cases (Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America clinical classification (MGFA) ⩽2a at discharge), patients receiving IM for >1 year, and patients receiving IM for >2 years. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted for validation. Results: Relative to 438 MG patients underwent thymectomy with no-IM therapy, 756 thymectomized MG patients receiving concomitant IM showed significantly superior outcomes, including lower deterioration (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.44, adjusted Conclusion: Our real-world analysis of 1248 MG patients suggests that thymectomy alone is not sufficient to achieve satisfactory outcomes. Post-thymectomy IM is recommended for at least 1 year, while extending treatment beyond 2 years appears to offer no further advantage in patients without deterioration.

Indexed as

immunoregulation therapymyasthenia gravisthymectomy

Identifiers

PMID41696676
PMCPMC12901904

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