RESUMO
This study was undertaken to determine the immunological profile of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients in Jamaica. Immunoperoxidase (IP) and immunofluorescence (IF) techniques were used, employing a panel of monoclonal antibodies, to detect T and B lymphocytes and their subjects in lymph nodes and cell suspensions obtained from 22 patients diagnosed consecutively from January, 1985. Results of immunological typing were compared with results of HTLV-1 (Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I) antibody testing, and with the histological pattern. Sixteen of the patients (73 percent) had T-cell disease and 4 had B-cell disease. Results were equivocal or unsatisfactory in 2 patients. Fourteen who had T-cell disease were further subtyped. Thirteen had the helper-inducer phenotype and 1 had the cytotoxic-suppressor phenotype. There was close agreement between the results of IP typing of lymph nodes and cell suspensions, and of IF typing of cell suspensions, 15 (12 T-cell and 3 B-cell) of the 20 patients tested showing identical results. Three patients who were typed as T-cell disease by the IP technique were typed as normal or immunosuppressed by the IF technique. However, the IP typing was done before, and the IF was done after, treatment. Discrepancies in the results for 2 patients are unexplained. Eight of the 14 patients with T-cell disease for whom results of HTLV-I antibody testing are available are HTLV-I antibody-positive. Both of the patients with B-cell disease for whom these results are available are antibody-negative. There was no correlation between lymphocyte phenotype and histological pattern (AU)
