Relationship between thymic epithelial tumors and autoimmune disorders

Thymus is a primary lymphoid organ associated with T-cell development (1,2). The most important role of the thymus is the induction of immune self-tolerance by the positive and negative selection of T cells that prevent self-harm or autoimmunity (2). In 1672, the England doctor, Thomas Willis reported the first clinical description of a disease that was characterized by severe distal muscle weakness (3).