Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

About one in 10 patients with thymic carcinoma — a rare type of malignant tumor in the thymus gland — also has myasthenia gravis (MG), but this does not appear to reduce their lifespan, according to a study of data from an international registry. The study, “Does myasthenia…

The cancer immunotherapy Imfinzi (durvalumab) may, in rare cases, trigger myasthenic crises — a serious complication of myasthenia gravis (MG) that can lead to respiratory failure. A recent case report described how an 82-year-old woman on MG remission experienced a myasthenic crisis following treatment with Imfinzi for advanced-stage lung cancer.

Plasma exchange combined with intravenous, or into-the-vein, immunoglobulin (IVIG) appears to be safe, and better than plasma therapy alone at easing the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) and boosting the immunity of patients, a study suggests. These findings offer what researchers called a “reference for clinical decision-making” — particularly…

Two molecules in blood cells may be potential biomarkers for diagnosing myasthenia gravis (MG), a study suggests. Researchers found levels to be lower in mononuclear cells — a mixture of different cell types that circulate in the bloodstream and have a round nucleus — of patients with MG than…

A man developed myasthenia gravis (MG), which quickly progressed to an advanced stage, shortly after surgery to remove a tumor in the thymus gland, according to a report from China. Post-surgical MG is rare and its rapid severity even rarer, its scientists noted, and this man’s  MG diagnosis was more…

A woman was diagnosed with both ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) and a hereditary form of motor neuropathy, a condition affecting the nerves controlling the muscles in the body, according to a case report from China. The report, “Myasthenia gravis coexisting with HINT1-related motor axonal neuropathy without neuromyotonia: a…

Long-term treatment with Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa-fcab) is safe and well tolerated, and leads to a sustained improvement in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) disease scores. These findings come from an interim analysis of ADAPT+ (NCT03770403), an ongoing Phase 3, open-label, three-year extension of ADAPT (NCT03669588) that is…

More or larger clusters of developing B-cells, called germinal centers, in the thymus may predict better outcomes after thymus removal surgery in people with myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a recent study that utilized modern tools of digital pathology to support its findings. “Digital pathology can thus help in…

This year’s MGNet Scholar award, funded by the Myasthenia Gravis Rare Disease Network (MGNet), has gone to a scientist at Yale University who is investigating the immune mechanisms behind the development of myasthenia gravis (MG) in people who have been treated with a type of immunotherapy. The awardee…

Nearly half of all people with myasthenia gravis (MG) in Poland were admitted to a hospital a mean of two times in 2018, although not always for complications of their disease, a recent nationwide database study reported. Reasons for hospital stays included relevant treatments,…