The non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are a heterogeneous group of lymphoid neoplasms displaying a wide variation in cell morphology, histological patterns, immunological phenotype and prognosis. In this paper we compare the results of phenotypic investigation of 322 tissue biopsies with the histology based on the Kiel classification. Immunological analysis revealed that 81 per cent of these tumours were of B cell origin, 12 per cent of T cell origin and the remaining 7 per cent could not be characterized as representing either cell lineage. This last group included a number of cases which had received a histological diagnosis of true histiocytic lymphoma. The original morphological diagnosis, based on routine haematoxylin and eosion sections correlated with the immunologically determined phenotype in 86 and 93 per cent of the T-and B-cell cases respectively. The B cell tumours were phenotypically heterogenous with respect to immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain and B lymphocyte subset marker expression. IgG was most often found associated with NHL of cb/cc histology and a small subgroup of lymphocytic NHL. IgA expression was uncommon and occurred in combination with IgD and Gin three cases and alone in two cases of NHL. The most common immunoglobulin isotype expressed was IgM this isotype occurred with IgD most often in lymphocytic and centrocytic NHL and less often in tumours of cb/cc histology. Whilst greater than 90 per cent of the lymphocytic NHLs expressed the CD5 antigen, between 20 and 75 per cent of B-cell tumours of other histologies also expressed this epitope. The CDlO antigen and the epitope recognized by the monoclonal reagent FMC7 were widely distributed on tumour cells from all histologies. TdT expression commonly regarded as a marker for immature cells was found in one case of follicle centre cell lymphoma. All cases of T cell NHL displayed marked heterogeneity for both pan T and T subset antigens which is significant in terms of the routine diagnosis of T NHL and with regard to the rational classification of node based T NHL. Unlike resting peripheral blood T cells, MHC class 11, OKT 10 and CD25 epitopes were expressed reflecting activation of tumour populations.
The cases in which a Tor B-cell lineage was not determined in the initial biopsy were subsequently re-examined in paraffin section using CD45R monoclonal reagents. These antibodies have been shown to assist the determination of cell lineage in paraffin section. Following this analysis five cases were shown to represent atypical Ig negative B cell lymphomas and three showed membrane positivity with T cell markers. Four cases remained unclassified and in these the original histological diagnosis of histiocytic lymphoma would seem appropriate.