[The characteristics of the lymphoid population in myelodysplastic states]

The paper is concerned with quantitation and characterization of changes in the immune system of patients suffering from various myelodysplastic conditions (DMC). CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD16, CD10, SIg positive cells were quantified in bone marrow and peripheral blood of 35 MDC patients. Of these 11 patients had refractive anemia with increased number of blasts (RAIB), 9 had refractive anemia (RA), 5 had RAIB with transformation into acute leukemia, 10 refractive cytopenia (RC). Functional activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes was studied in blast transformation test. EC-activity was also measured. All the MDC patients showed increased number of CD8 lymphocytes in bone marrow and peripheral blood, reduced fraction of CD4 cells in peripheral blood, inhibited proliferation in response to mitogen stimulation. RA patients' B-cells expressed lowered surface immunoglobulins in a lesser extent, in a stable killer activity of mononuclears their EC-cell number is decreased. In addition to the above changes RAIB patients exhibited T-cell deficiency in peripheral blood as well as inhibited killer activity. RAIB transformation progressed into acute leukemia along with growing T- and B-cell deficiency and unbalanced proportion of immunoregulatory subpopulations, lower number of relative number of EC-cells.