A serological study of primary thymic neoplasms.

New insight into the immunological function of the thymus has added to the significance of the rare primary neoplasms of this organ. It has long been known that thymomas are associated with a high incidence of certain systemic diseases, the best recognized of which are myasthenia gravis (Castleman, 1955), pure red-cell aplasia (Havard and Scott, 1960), and hypo-y-globulinaemia (Gafni, Michaeli, and Heller, 1960). Systemic lupus erythematosus, granulomatous myocarditis and myositis, hyper-y-globulinaemia, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and other conditions have also been described in association with thymic tumours (Miller, 1963 ; Rubin, Straus, and Allen, 1964). Although the relationship of thymoma to systemic disease is uncertain, immunological mechanisms are probably involved (Miller, Marshall, and WVhite, 1962). There is considerable evidence of autoimmune phenomena in several of the conditions mentioned above; in particular, a high incidence of antibodies against muscle, nuclei (A.N.F.), and thyroid has been demonstrated recently in myasthenia gravis (van der Geld, Feltkamp, van Loghem, Oosterhuis, and Biemond, 1963; Simpson, 1964). This paper reports an investigation of autoimmune phenomena in sera from 12 cases of primary thymic tumours with and without associated systemic disorder.