Evaluation of T and B lymphocyte membrane markers in human non-Hodgkin malignant lymphomata.

Lymphoma cells from 25 patients were studied for the presence of B lymphocytes (membrane bound Ig and Fc receptor) and T lymphocytes (rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes) membrane markers. All cases of well differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma and of acute lymphosarcoma cell leukaemia and most cases of poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma behaved as B cell monoclonal malignancies. However, the malignant cells of some patients were not definitely classified according to their B or T cell origin or lacked these membrane markers. The latter situation was encountered in 4 reticulum cell sarcomata. Polyclonal Ig were found on the surface of B cells in a case of hyperbasophilic undifferentiated lymphoma. The need for using several membrane markers to study the abnormal lymphoma cells is outlined. Such studies improve our understanding of these malignancies and may lead in the future to a satisfactory classification of non-Hodgkin lymphomata.