Abstract
Three groups of patients with immunoproliferative disorders (15 multiple myeloma, 11 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 21 chronic lymphocytic leukemia) were studied by immunological characterization and compared to a group of 20 normal subjects (controls) using anti-immunoglobulin coated polyacrylamide beads (T-B Quantigen test, QT), erythrocyte rosettes (ER), surface immunoglobulin (SIg), and monoclonal antibodies for T and B cells (OKT3; OKT11; OKT8; OKT4; IaDR); null cells (NC) and double marker (DM) cells were also considered. The values for normal subjects for T-B, NC and DM cells were comparable.
Results for the patient groups strikingly differed. There were progressively larger differences between the T and B percentages obtained with different techniques. The largest differences were seen in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and the smallest in multiple myeloma patients; values were intermediate in non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The different findings were related to the number of DM cells (ER +, SIg+ QT+) and the different tests used.
The importance of these findings in the diagnostic appproach to lymphoproliferative disorders is discussed.
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