SCTS 2026 | Surgery on the Thymus Gland

At the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland Annual Meeting, leading surgeons presented on surgery on the thymus gland.  

Dr. Rebecca Duerden, a consultant thoracic radiologist at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Stockport, UK, delivered a presentation titled “The Role and Value of the BTOG Anterior Mediastinal Pathway.” She explored thymic involution vs hyperplasia, benign appearances, and thymic hyperplasia types. Additionally, Dr. Duerden engaged in a discussion on the thymic cyst arm debate and the management of thymoma.  

Then, Dr. Dionisios Stavroulias, a consultant thoracic surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, UK, spoke on “When to Perform Thymectomy in Patients With Myasthenia Gravis.” He covered essential topics such as the definition of myasthenia gravis (MG), its signs and symptoms, and thymectomy for MG. Dr. Stavroulias also discussed early-onset MG, the randomized trials of thymectomy in MG, and the Oxford approach to thymectomy for MG.  

Next, Dr. Enrico Ruffini, Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Torino, Italy, presented on “Simple Thymomectomy vs Total Thymectomy for Early-Stage Thymoma Without Myasthenia Gravis.” His presentation focused on thymic epithelial tumors, the stage migration from the Masaoka-Koga (MK) classification to TNM-8 and TNM-9, and the principles of surgical therapy for these tumors. He also addressed lymph nodal dissection, the extent of thymectomy in non-myasthenic thymomas, and total vs simple thymectomy combined with thymomectomy.  

Finally, Dr. Laurens Ceulemans, thoracic and transplant surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at UZ/KU Leuven, Belgium, concluded the session with his presentation titled “Management of Stage IV Thymoma.” He provided valuable insights on advanced thymoma with pleural dissemination, radical resection, and showed various cases regarding stage IV thymoma.  

All presentations concluded with Q&A sessions.    

In March 2026, the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland held its annual conference, uniting experts in cardiothoracic surgery to explore the newest innovations in technology and surgical methods. Watch for more SCTS 2026 videos in the coming weeks.   

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