Comparison of "host cell infiltrates" in patients with follicular lymphoma with and without spontaneous regression.

The "host cell infiltrates" in five patients with low-grade follicular lymphoma who had spontaneous regression without therapy were studied with the use of immunohistochemical methods applied to frozen sections. These infiltrates were compared with the "host cell infiltrates" in six patients with follicular lymphoma with progressive disease. The group with progressive disease was selected to be similar to the group with spontaneous regression in age, sex, histologic characteristics, and stage of disease. The patients with spontaneous regression had significantly more T-helper cells in the host cell infiltrate than the control patients. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in numbers of cytotoxic/suppressor T-cells, macrophages, Tac-positive cells, Leu-7-positive cells, or proliferating cells.