[The level of Bcl-2 and Fas expression in thymoma tissue from patients with myasthenia gravis].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical significance of expression levels of apoptosis-associated genes, bcl-2 and Fas in thymoma tissue from patients with myasthenia gravis.


METHODS
The study included 25 patients who underwent maximal thymectomy because of concurrent thymoma and myasthenia gravis. Clinical staging (Osserman classification) showed stage I in 6, IIA in 3, IIB in 13 and III in 3 cases. According to the WHO classification of thymomas (1999), 5, 3, 7, 7, and 3 patients had type A, AB, B1, B2, and B3, respectively, and no patient had type C. As a control group, the normal thymic tissue from 25 patients with congenital heart diseases was studied. The expression level of Bcl-2 and Fas in the tissue of thymoma and normal thymus was detected by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Bcl-2 and Fas expressions were significantly higher in thymomas compared with normal thymus by Radit analyses (U = 2.645, P < 0.05 and U = 3.200, P < 0.05, respectively). The expression level of Bcl-2 and Fas showed no relation to the course of the disease, age, Osserman classification and sex.


CONCLUSIONS
The result suggests that the two apoptosis-associated factors, Bcl-2 and Fas, may play important roles in the pathogenesis of thymoma concurrent with myasthenia gravis.
Shen
Gang
G
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
Chai
Ying
Y
Yue
Lan
L
Wei
Hong-quan
HQ
Lin
Min
M
D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
C491901:FAS protein, human; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D019014:fas Receptor