CLINICAL TRIALS AND OBSERVATIONS

Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a central role in maintaining immune toler-ance. A reduction in the function of Tregs is a key feature of autoimmune diseases, whereas their expansion in malignant dis-eases leads to the suppression of host anti-tumor responses. We analyzed the absolute number of CD4 and CD8 Tregs in the peripheral blood of 52 patients with myelo-dysplastic syndrome (MDS) and show a significant correlation between increased number of CD4 Tregs and MDS subgroups with 5 % or more bone marrow blast