THE IMMUNOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF 95 NODAL AND EXTRANODAL DIFFUSE LARGE CELL LYMPHOMAS IN 89 PATIENTS

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 115  (2) , 245-252
Abstract
The 95 diffuse large cell lymphomas in 89 patients were stained in cryostat sections with a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Lymphoma cells from 47 patients (53%) expressed either kappa or lambda L-chains, usually in combination with mu H-chains. Fifteen samples from 12 patients (14%) expressed .gtoreq. 2 T-cell antigens and commonly expressed Ia antigens. Lymphoma cells from 10 of these patients uniformly lacked .gtoreq. 1 pan T-cell antigens; lymphoma cells from 4 of these patients also lacked both T-subset antigens-findings which should prove useful in diagnosis. Lymphomas from 28 patients (31%) did not express Ig or T-cell antigens but commonly expressed the B-lineage antigen B119; and the remaining 9 cases generally expressed Ia antigens, common ALL antigens, or both. The marked immunologic heterogeneity of diffuse large cell lymphomas; the phenotypic heterogeneity observed in T-cell cases in many instances is difficult to reconcile with current models of T-cell differentiation.