Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1980 Feb;41(2):168–182. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1980.27

Morphological and immunological definition of a malignant lymphoma derived from germinal-centre cells with cleaved nuclei (centrocytes).

G Tolksdorf, H Stein, K Lennert
PMCID: PMC2010202  PMID: 7370158

Abstract

Thirteen lymphomas consisting of one particular cell type were selected from 135 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The lymphoma cells were mainly characterized by irregularly shaped nuclei and faintly stained cytoplasm. The growth pattern of the tumour was diffuse. Immunological phenotyping of suspended cells showed that the tumour cells, irrespective of whether they were isolated from lymphoma tissue or from lymphoma tissue or from peripheral blood of leukaemic cases, bore a dense layer of surface immunoglobulin, lacked cytoplasmic immunoglobulin and receptors for mouse erythrocytes, and expressed both complement-receptor subtypes (i.e., receptors for C3b and C3d) in all but one case. The exceptional case was C3b receptor-positive and C3d receptor-negative. The number of IgG-Fc receptor-bearing cells was usually small. There was a consistently small proportion of non-malignant T cells in the tumour tissue. A comparison of the properties of these lymphomas with those of other types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and of non-malignant lymphoid cells, shows that the cells of this type of lymphoma (a) differ morphologically and/or immunologically from the cells of all other known types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and (b) resemble centrocytes (cleaved follicular-centre cells) of reactive germinal centres. Thus, this type of lymphoma appears to be an entity that is closely related to, or even derived from, centrocytes.

Full text

PDF
168

Images in this article

172Fig. 1
on p.172
173Fig. 2
on p.173

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aisenberg A. C., Long J. C. Lymphocyte surface characteristics in malignant lymphoma. Am J Med. 1975 Mar;58(3):300–306. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(75)90595-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berard C. W., Jaffe E. S., Braylan R. C., Mann R. B., Nanba K. Immunologic aspects and pathology of the malignant lymphomas. Cancer. 1978 Aug;42(2 Suppl):911–921. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197808)42:2+<911::aid-cncr2820420713>3.0.co;2-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Billing R., Rafizadeh B., Drew I., Hartman G., Gale R., Terasaki P. Human B-lymphocyte antigens expressed by lymphocytic and myelocytic leukemia cells. I. Detection by rabbit antisera. J Exp Med. 1976 Jul 1;144(1):167–178. doi: 10.1084/jem.144.1.167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brittinger G. Outline of a prospective multicentric study on the clinical significance of the Kiel classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Recent Results Cancer Res. 1978;65:197–202. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-81249-1_24. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brouet J. C., Labaume S., Seligmann M. Evaluation of T and B lymphocyte membrane markers in human non-Hodgkin malignant lymphomata. Br J Cancer Suppl. 1975 Mar;2:121–127. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Catovsky D., Cherchi M., Okos A., Hegde U., Galton D. A. Mouse red-cell rosettes in B-lymphoproliferative disorders. Br J Haematol. 1976 Jun;33(2):173–177. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1976.tb03528.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dukor P., Bianco C., Nussenzweig V. Tissue localization of lymphocytes bearing a membrane receptor for antigen-antibody-complement complexes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1970 Oct;67(2):991–997. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.2.991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Galton D. A., Goldman J. M., Wiltshaw E., Catovsky D., Henry K., Goldenberg G. J. Prolymphocytic leukaemia. Br J Haematol. 1974 May;27(1):7–23. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1974.tb06769.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Goldschneider I., McGregor D. D. Anatomical distribution of T and B lymphocytes in the rat. Development of lymphocyte-specific antisera. J Exp Med. 1973 Dec 1;138(6):1443–1465. doi: 10.1084/jem.138.6.1443. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gupta S., Good R. A., Siegal F. P. Rosette-formation with mouse erythrocytes. II. A marker for human B and non-T lymphocytes. Clin Exp Immunol. 1976 Aug;25(2):319–327. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gutman G. A., Weissman I. L. Lymphoid tissue architecture. Experimental analysis of the origin and distribution of T-cells and B-cells. Immunology. 1972 Oct;23(4):465–479. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hoffmann-Fezer G., Rodt H., Eulitz M., Thierfelder S. Immunohistochemical identification of T- and B-lymphocytes delineated by the unlabeled antibody enzyme method. I. Anatomical distribution of theta-positive and Ig-positive cells in lymphoid organs of mice. J Immunol Methods. 1976;13(3-4):261–270. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(76)90073-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jaffe E. S., Shevach E. M., Frank M. M., Berard C. W., Green I. Nodular lymphoma--evidence for origin from follicular B lymphocytes. N Engl J Med. 1974 Apr 11;290(15):813–819. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197404112901501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LENNERT K. Uber die Erkennung von Keimzentrumszellen im Lymphknotenausstrich. Klin Wochenschr. 1957 Nov 15;35(22):1130–1132. doi: 10.1007/BF01489419. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Leech J. H., Glick A. D., Waldron J. A., Flexner J. M., Horn R. G., Collins R. D. Malignant lymphomas of follicular center cell origin in man. I. Immunologic studies. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1975 Jan;54(1):11–21. doi: 10.1093/jnci/54.1.11. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lennert K., Niedorf H. R. Nachweis von desmosomal verknüpften Reticulumzellen im follikul-aren Lymphom (Brill Symmers) Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol. 1969;4(2):148–150. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mitchell J., Abbot A. Ultrastructure of the antigen-retaining reticulum of lymph node follicles as shown by high-resolution autoradiography. Nature. 1965 Oct 30;208(5009):500–502. doi: 10.1038/208500b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nossal G. J., Abbot A., Mitchell J., Lummus Z. Antigens in immunity. XV. Ultrastructural features of antigen capture in primary and secondary lymphoid follicles. J Exp Med. 1968 Feb 1;127(2):277–290. doi: 10.1084/jem.127.2.277. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Papadimitriou C. S., Stein H., Lennert K. The complexity of immunohistochemical staining pattern of Hodgkin and Sternberg-reed cells--demonstration of immunoglobulin, albumin, alpha1-antichymotrypsin and lysozyme. Int J Cancer. 1978 May 15;21(5):531–541. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910210502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Preud'homme J. L., Brouet J. C., Clauvel J. P., Seligmann M. Surface IgD in immunoproliferative disorders. Scand J Immunol. 1974;3(6):853–858. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1974.tb01323.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stein H. Klassifikation der malignen Non-Hodgkin-Lymphome aufgrund gemeinsamer morphologischer und immunologischer Merkmale zwischen normalen und neoplastichen lymphatischen Zellen. Immun Infekt. 1976 Apr;4(2):52–69. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stein H., Papadimitriou C. S., Bouman H., Lennert K., Fuchs J. Demonstration of immunoglobulin production by tumor cells in non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas and its significance for their classification. Recent Results Cancer Res. 1978;64:158–175. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-81246-0_18. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stein H., Petersen N., Gaedicke G., Lennert K., Landbeck G. Lymphoblastic lymphoma of convoluted or acid phosphatase type-a tumor of T precursor cells. Int J Cancer. 1976 Mar 15;17(3):292–295. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910170303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Stein H., Siemssen U., Lennert K. Complement receptor subtypes C3b and C3d in lymphatic tissue and follicular lymphoma. Br J Cancer. 1978 Apr;37(4):520–529. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1978.80. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sternberger L. A., Hardy P. H., Jr, Cuculis J. J., Meyer H. G. The unlabeled antibody enzyme method of immunohistochemistry: preparation and properties of soluble antigen-antibody complex (horseradish peroxidase-antihorseradish peroxidase) and its use in identification of spirochetes. J Histochem Cytochem. 1970 May;18(5):315–333. doi: 10.1177/18.5.315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Taylor C. R. The nature of Reed-Sternberg cells and other malignant "reticulum" cells. Lancet. 1974 Oct 5;2(7884):802–807. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)91071-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Tsan M. F., McIntyre P. A. Stimulation by propylthiouracil of the hexose monophosphate shunt in human polymorphonuclear leucocytes during phagocytosis. Br J Haematol. 1975 Oct;31(2):193–208. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1975.tb00850.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES