Advancements in thymectomy for myasthenia gravis
KUANG Zhenyu
ZHU Quan
LU Liqing
LI Xiaoyan
SU Yanhong
CHENG Yuanda
GAO Yang
ZHANG Chunfang
Abstract：Myasthenia gravis(MG)is an autoimmune disease caused by thymic abnormalities.Thymectomy is a core approach for treating MG,and its clinical value has been confirmed by landmark studies such as the Thymectomy Trial in Non-Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis Patients Receiving Prednisone Therapy(MGTX).Thymectomy can significantly improve the clinical outcomes of patients with acetylcholine receptor antibody(AChR-Ab)-positive generalized MG,reduce their immunosuppressant dosages,and elevate their long-term remission rates.With the advancement of minimally invasive techniques such as thoracoscopy and robotics,thymectomy has entered a new stage of"minimally invasive and precise",which makes patients safer and enables them to recover faster.Early thymectomy is now the consensus recommendation for patients with early-onset and AChR-Ab-positive generalized MG.However,its applications in some special populations,including those with ocular MG and muscle-specific kinase(MuSK)antibody-positive MG,remain controversial and require individualized assessment.The future research direction lies in establishing precision decision-making models based on patient subtypes and biomarkers,and conducting large-scale studies to define its precise role across different MG subtypes,which will optimize surgical timing and screen beneficiary groups to achieve personalized treatments.
Keywords：ThymectomyMyasthenia gravis(MG)Autoimmune diseasesThe Thymectomy Trial in Non-Thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis Patients Receiving Prednisone Therapy(MGTX)
Publication Date：2025-10-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-11-13(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 1080-1085 )