Autoimmune hepatitis during preoperative chemotherapy in a patient with thymoma.

Autoimmune diseases associated with thymoma are well known, with myasthenia gravis being the most common, while autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is extremely rare. The case of a 63-year-old woman with AIH that developed during preoperative chemotherapy for invasive type B2 thymoma is presented. Liver dysfunction was improved by steroid treatment using oral prednisolone, 30 mg daily, followed by tapering. The patient underwent a macroscopic complete resection including dissemination, and no evidence of recurrence has been seen for 13 months. Although the serum levels of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody were elevated, no symptoms of myasthenia gravis appeared during the clinical course. This is a rare case of non-myasthenic thymoma complicated with AIH. AIH should be carefully considered in thymoma patients with liver dysfunction, since multidisciplinary treatment is required for invasive thymoma.