抄録
An immunopathological study of 21 patients with thymoma was perfomed. The median age was 51, with range of 26-69 years. There were 11 male and 10 female. All thymoma of this series were detected by thymectomy, biopsy and necropsy. Myasthenia gravis was present in 10 patients, including 1 patient who also had pure red cell aplasia. Sjögren's syndrome was present in 2 cases, and pure red cell aplasia in 1. Four cases were predominantly epitherial cellular type, 9 were lymphocytic and 8 were mixed. The average of circulating lymphocyte counts of the thymoma patients was 2986/cmm and was higher than normal. There was an increase in the number of non-T and non-B lymphocyte (null-lymphocyte). Both counts of T and B-lymphocytes were within normal value. The response of the peripheral lymphocyte in thymoma patients in vitro against PHA-P stimulation was significantly suppressed than healthy lymphocyte. Antinuclear antibody was found in 75% serum of thymoma patients.
In 9 thymoma obtained at thymectomy, the median percentage of T-lymphocyte was 72 and B-lymphocyt was 4. Sixteen patients were studied prospectively before and after thymectomy, and there was a decrease in peripheral lymphocytes after thymectomy that was statistically significant. The proportion of decreased lymphocytes after thymectomy was mainly null-lymphocytes. The thymoma patients had abnormality of humoral and cellular immunity.
