My MG has been in remission for 7 mos. now. Cancer caused my MG and as soon as they started getting my cancer under control all MG symptoms disappeared. I am still fearful of either of them returning.
I never had a thymectomy and I am not well schooled. I would like more information on why cancer causes MG. I have tried to research it on the net and have found nothing. Sorry= not much help.

Hi pussycat, Thank you very much for answering. I am searching the literature for remissions/reversions info, Specifically, looking for any info I can find about the relationship between gut issues(permeability, dysbiosis), and remissions/reversions. As most here will know, there is a clear association between autoimmune disease and gut permeability... Though he studies Celiac, Dr. Alessio Fasano's work is highly informative in this area... Also searching for info on state of acetylcholine receptors after prolonged remission. Just something for an old man to do from the couch! Best Wishes, HG007 ps. probably not practical to ask for this sort of info here.

One study that gets somewhat to the question you are asking is

http://icvts.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/1/42.long

Their conclusion:
In conclusion, thymoma is an adverse prognostic factor for the MG patients who have experienced complete remission after thymectomy. The patients with thymoma had a greater possibility to develop relapse of symptoms than the patients without thymoma. Careful clinical survey to rule out tumor recurrence in MG patients with thymoma who experienced relapse of symptoms after thymectomy is warranted. Early relapse from complete remission is also observed in some MG patients with thymoma.

I started thinking about the term "remission." Remission seems to mean that one is free of symptoms. Remission, as used with MG can be achieved with ongoing treatment (prednisone can bring one into remission -- but requires ongoing medication). Remission can also mean the symptoms are gone and no treatment is needed.

Another medical term is "recovery." One medical definition is "the act of regaining or returning toward a normal or healthy state."

If I understand it correctly, recovery means a remission from MG that does not require ongoing treatment. -- As in this research abstract:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6180140

When is there a full recovery for a myasthenia gravis patient?
Scoppetta C, Bartoccioni E, David P, Flamini G, Lo Monaco M, Scuderi F, Tonali P.

Abstract
A myasthenia gravis (MG) patient who seems to have recovered can later have recurrence of myasthenic signs. Clearly clinical remission does not always correspond to the normalization of all the factors involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. In ten patients who had apparently recovered from MG, electromyographic tests of repetitive supramaximal stimulation were performed and the anti-acetylcholine receptor (anti-AChR) antibody was assessed. In two of the ten patients all these tests were normal, thus showing lack of electromyographic myasthenic fatigability and the absence of circulating anti-AChR antibodies. Our hypothesis is that for these two subjects the risk of a recurrence of MG is lower than for the others.

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I am 16 months into a drug free remission of MG symptoms after a year of treatment for achr positive MG. I suppose to see if I am "recovered" from MG, I would have to have tests that show my ACHR antibody level is negative and my emg is normal.

Although I am curious to find that out, it is unlikely that I could convince my doctor to run tests to satisfy my curiosity. I feel normal, but wonder all the time if MG is gone, or just hiding out for another attack. I believe I am recovered from MG.

Good Luck

You know I fully recovered from the flu one year and gosh darn it, I got the flu a few years later. I guess I would then call that a relapse...

In the end its all semantics, we are susceptible to both repeating illnesses through infection with an organism or our own bodies attacking itself a.k.a. autoimmune diseases.

Since the vast majority of patients with MG experience symptoms continuously, or like those with MS have a pattern of relapsing / remitting symptomology, it seems that remission is the better term. As far as I know there is no cure for MG including thymectomy.

I believe the statement made by neurologist is that thymectomy is likely to reduce the severity of the symptoms and reduce the overall level of medications required to control the symptoms. There is currently a fairly large study which is looking at the question of how effective is a thymectomy. Earlier smaller studies did suggest that thymectomy would improve the long term picture for those with MG

Pussycat I have not found a conclusive description as why cancer can cause MG, but it does seem that the presence of abnormal cells that a cancer is made up of, triggers your immune system to fight the off the cancerous abnormal cells. Somewhere during that fight the immune system gets confused and starts attacking the bodies good cells, such as the muscle receptors; it mistakes that part of your body as bad and continues going after those parts which causes the symptoms we call Myasthenia Gravis. Simply put the iimmune system has learned a bad habit.

Joe

Good summation Joe,

in the end I just want to feel better..... don't we all....

I want my life back!!!

Parts of it anyway.... this road is so long for some of us....

keep on trucking .. thats all you can do...

Looks like recovery is best defined as, '...the normalization of all the factors involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.' Remission, if you will, as the gross reduction of symptoms, while underlying pathogenesis remains. Still, my interest is in the role that gut permeability plays in all of this. I expect that many here who have pressing concerns with respect to their MG will find that perusing this thread is merely a waste of their valuable energy, a distraction, with no practical info whatsoever. In this regard, I think it best to allow this thread to fade into obscurity. HG007

Remission , a term that has a few different definitions if you will however we all want to be able to say and hope we get there. In my opinion it's fairly simple meaning doing " normal " activities with small amounts or none at all medications that we take.

As Joe pointed out , I as well was in remission or doing really well and had walking pneumonia once ( job related ) and tore my distal bicep and you guessed it , both times lets just say it set me back . As far as the result we hope for when a thymectomy is performed it is likely that remissions will be more frequent and last longer and I can say that has been the case for me and hope it is for all of you as well.

Some day soon god willing there will be a cure and remission will be an after thought.

Cj