NEWS

21 December 2025

Long-term effects of thymectomy – an objective assessment of risks and benefits

In 2023, NEJM published a controversial article: Kooshesh KA, Foy BH, Sykes DB, Gustafsson K, Scadden DT. Health consequences of thymus removal in adults. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(5):406-417, which caused a lot of confusion among physicians and patients.

Below you can find links to articles presenting the opinions of experts, members of ITMIG, on the safety and indications for thymectomy, as well as discussing the quality of the design of the above-mentioned study.

Detterbeck FC, Kaminski HJ, Blasberg JD, O’Connor KC. Does thymectomy in adults have long-term health consequences? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Mar;169(3):787-795.e2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Kaminski HJ, Kusner LL, Cutter GR, Le Panse R, Wright CD, Perry Y, Wolfe GI.Does Surgical Removal of the Thymus Have Deleterious Consequences? Neurology. 2024 Jun 25;102(12):e209482.

 

 


 

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ITMIG