IL6 and thymus lymphoma: To confirm this finding, we analyzed the expression of co-stimulatory molecules genes and cytokines in thymic lymphomas and appropriate control tissues by qRT-PCR, and found lower levels of Ia, CD86, CD83, CD80, CCR-7, CD40 and CD11c in thymic lymphomas (Fig. 1A), and higher levels of IL-6, TGF-β, and lower level of IL-12(Fig. 1B).