Studies on the high- and low-affinity rosette-forming T-lymphocytes in patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The total number of lymphocytes and the number and proportion of high-(29°C) and low- (4°C) affinity E (erythrocyte) rosette-forming cells (RFC) from the peripheral blood of 33 patients with Hodgkin's and 41 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was assessed, and compared with results obtained from normal controls. Analysis of results was performed on groups of patients subdivided according to age, histological type and stage of disease. Patients with Hodgkin's disease showed a decrease in RFC which was attributed to a reduction in low-affinity RFC; this decrease could not be related to any particular histological type or stage of disease. Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma showed, in addition to a decrease in low-affinity RFC, a significant decrease in high-affinity RFC. The observed decrease in peripheral blood T cell numbers of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients did not correlate with the type of disease, but patients with clinical stage IV showed a more pronounced reduction in the number of high- and low-affinity RFC when compared with other groups.