Question:medium
A patient with mediastinal mass was diagnosed with red cell aplasia. What is the probable cause?
A patient with mediastinal mass was diagnosed with red cell aplasia. What is the probable cause?
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Think about which anterior mediastinal tumour is classically associated with autoimmune haematological conditions including pure red cell aplasia.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Bronchogenic carcinoma
- NHL
- Thymic neoplasia
- T cell ALL
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The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Classic associations approach:
The clinical triad to recall here is: anterior mediastinal mass + PRCA + autoimmune condition = Thymoma.
Acquired Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA) is thought to be caused by an autoimmune mechanism - possibly via a tumor of the thymus gland. Thymoma is located in the anterior mediastinum and accounts for the majority of acquired PRCA cases in adults.
Mediastinal masses and their associations:
\[\boxed{\text{Thymic neoplasia (Option C)}}\]
The clinical triad to recall here is: anterior mediastinal mass + PRCA + autoimmune condition = Thymoma.
Acquired Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA) is thought to be caused by an autoimmune mechanism - possibly via a tumor of the thymus gland. Thymoma is located in the anterior mediastinum and accounts for the majority of acquired PRCA cases in adults.
Mediastinal masses and their associations:
- $\textit{Thymoma}$: PRCA, myasthenia gravis, hypogammaglobulinemia
- $\textit{NHL/Hodgkin lymphoma}$: Anterior/middle mediastinal masses, but not PRCA
- $\textit{Bronchogenic carcinoma}$: Posterior/middle mediastinal, not associated with PRCA
- $\textit{T cell ALL}$: Thymic involvement but PRCA is not a classic association
\[\boxed{\text{Thymic neoplasia (Option C)}}\]
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