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Detection of cytoplasmic immunoglobulin in well‐differentiated lymphoproliferative diseases by the immunoperoxidase method
Author(s) -
Pangalis Gerassimos A.,
Nathwani Bharat N.,
Rappaport Henry
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19800315)45:6<1334::aid-cncr2820450611>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - immunoperoxidase , medicine , antibody , immunoglobulin g , cytoplasm , lymphoproliferative disorders , immunoglobulin a , immunology , pathology , lymphoma , monoclonal antibody , biology , genetics
Lymph node specimens from 101 patients diagnosed as having a well‐differentiated lymphoproliferative disease were studied by the peroxidase–anti‐peroxidase (PAP) method for the presence of intracyto‐plasmic immunoglobulin (Ig). In all but 22 cases, the initial diagnostic material consisted of lymph node biopsy specimens interpreted histologically as showing well‐differentiated lymphoproliferative disease. Based on hematologic and immunologic data, patients who had had a biopsy were subclassified as having (1) well‐differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma (WDL) when no absolute lymphocytosis or monoclonal gammopathy was present (22 patients), (2) lymphoproliferative disease with monoclonal gammopathy (MG) when a monoclonal immunoglobulin was demonstrated in the serum (14 patients), and (3) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) when the absolute lymphocyte count was more than 4000/mm 3 and no monoclonal gammopathy was evident (43 patients). Twenty‐two known cases of CLL in which only autopsy tissue was available were added to this study. A monoclonal intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin was demonstrable in 4 of the 22 WDL cases (18%), in 13 of the 14 MG cases (93%), and in 3 of 62 CLL cases (5%). In 3 cases of CLL, tissues obtained at autopsy reacted with all antisera used. In the MG cases, a good correlation was found between the results of the PAP method and the serum immunoelectrophoretic findings. The lymphoid cell populations, including the plasmacytoid and plasma cells, were entirely monoclonal in 10 and predominantly monoclonal in 3 MG cases. In the latter, a small percentage of the plasma cell population was found to be polyclonal. In 6 of the 18 WDL cases and in 10 of the 59 CLL cases that were negative for immunoglobulin in the lymphoid cells, rare plasma cells were found. These small plasma cell populations were polyclonal. A good correlation between periodic‐acid‐Schiff positivity and the presence of intracytoplasmic immunoglobulin was observed in the MG cases; no such correlation was evident in the WDL and CLL cases.