Identification and significance of cell markers in leukemia and lymphoma.

The identification of markers of human hematopoietic cell differentiation and function has revealed the nature of the proliferating cell in many lymphoid neoplasms and demonstrated marked phenotypic heterogeneity in traditional subgroups. Selected markers are described that define common subgroups of lymphoid leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The identification of cell markers has significant implications for accuracy of diagnosis, for predicting clinical characteristics, and for understanding the biology of these diseases.