Naive CD4⁺ are significantly decreased in the peripheral blood of MG(−) thymoma patients.

FACS analysis of naive T-cell subsets in the peripheral blood of 9 MG(+) and 12 MG(−) thymoma patients and of 13 MG(+) patients with nonneoplastic thymuses compared to age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (missing data for MG(−) patient 14). Statistically significant increase of naive CD8⁺ T cells in MG(+) and MG(−) thymoma patients, with a statistically significant decrease of naive CD4⁺ T cells only in MG(−) thymoma patients. There was no statistically significant alteration in the blood of MG(+) patients with nonneoplastic thymuses, though there was a trend toward reduction of the naive CD8⁺ subset (grey lines, regression lines for values of control subjects).