Immunophenotypic analysis of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in Chinese. A study of 75 cases in Hong Kong.

The cell surface markers of 75 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were studied on cryostat sections using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Forty-nine cases (65.3%) were found to express a B-cell phenotype, 23 cases (30.7%) a T-cell phenotype, 1 case (1.3%) a histiocytic phenotype and 2 cases (2.7%) no demonstrable surface markers. Follicular lymphoma accounted for only 10.7% of the cases. Most B-cell lymphomas expressed IgM-lambda or IgM-IgD-lambda, but a few failed to express surface immunoglobulin. Among the 23 cases of T-cell lymphoma, 22 were of peripheral T-cell type; most were of helper-cell (T4) phenotype and a significant number expressed J5 (CALLA) and I2 (HLA-DR). The present study shows that the percentage of T-cell lymphoma in Chinese is higher than in Caucasians, but lower than in Japanese. However, when the age-adjusted incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is considered, the incidence rates of T-cell lymphoma in Hong Kong Chinese and Japanese in areas non-endemic for adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia are similar; the incidence in Americans is similar or slightly lower. The major difference between the races is that B-cell lymphoma, particularly the follicular type, is much rarer in Asians than Americans.