title: Clinical and immunological study of non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphomas (cutaneous and lymphoblastic lymphomas excluded).
abstract: We present here the immunologic, morphologic and clinical features of 16 T-derived adult non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) (lymphoblastic and cutaneous lymphomas being excluded) observed in an unselected series of 260 NHL. Malignant cells bore T cell antigens (16 cases) but formed E rosettes in 14 cases only. In nine cases studied with monoclonal antibodies to T cell antigenic subsets, the phenotype of malignant cells was homogeneous; in seven cases the cells had a clear-cut helper or suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype; in one case cells had a cortical thymocyte phenotype. No T-cell subset antigens were detected on malignant cells from the last patient. Prominent morphologic features were a striking variation in tumour cell sizes, vascular proliferation and admixture of a large number of macrophages; most often, those lymphomas with a diffuse growth pattern could not be easily assigned to a given NHL subtype. The course of the disease was aggressive in most patients, only four having experienced a sustained complete remission. Waldeyer's ring involvement, waxing and waning nodes, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinaemia and skin infiltrates may be distinctive clinical features in some patients.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II