Abstract
The author has studied nuclear DNA amounts, chromosome numbers and growth fraction of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells by cytofluorometry, chromosome analysis and immunostaining with the monoclonal antibody Ki-67 in order to clarify the relation between histologic subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma based on LSG classification and prognosis of the cases.
A great difference was observed in the mode of nuclear DNA amounts according to histologic subtypes of diffuse lymphoma (e.g. medium-sized cell type, 2.45±0.24 C, mixed cell type 3.3±0.72 C, large cell type, 4.05±0.87 C), but there was little difference among those of follicular lymphoma. The frequency of DNA aneuploidy was higher in large cell type and mixed cell type than that of medium-sized cell type. Nuclear DNA amounts paralleled chromosome numbers. The 50% survival time was shorter in the group with high nuclear DNA amounts (≥3.0 C) than that of low nuclear DNA amounts (<3.0 C).
The percentage of occurrence of Ki-67 positive tumor cells of diffuse B cell lymphomas was higher than that of follicular lymphomas and it increased in order; medium-sized, mixed and large cell type in both follicular and diffuse lymphomas. The 50% survival time was shorter in high percentage group of Ki-67 positive cells (≥36%) than low percentage group (<36%). These results indicate that nuclear DNA amounts and the percentage of occurrence of Ki-67 positive cells exactly correlate to prognosis of the cases according to each histologic sub-types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma except for T cell lymphomas.
The percentage of occurrence of Ki-67 positive cells of T cell lymphomas was lower than that of B cell lymphomas, although prognosis of T cell lymphomas is usually poorer than that of B cell lymphomas. Adequate answer to this problem is not applied in the present study.
