AIMS:The aims of this study were to confirm that CD30 is reproducibly negative in cases of nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's disease (nLPHD), and its relationship to further antibody targets for the distinction of L&H cells from classical Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg cells. METHODS AND RESULTS:We examined 16 cases of nLPHD from two centres in the UK to characterize immunohistochemically L&H cells for CD30, EMA, J-chain and Oct2, using different methods of antigen retrieval, antigen amplification and antigen detection systems. Two cases could not be stained with J-chain and Oct2. All cases were negative for CD30 following manual and automated staining. Only one case became positive for EMA after manual staining using tyramide amplification. J-chain and Oct2 were negative in all cases following manual staining. J-chain showed a positive result of variable degree in all but one case using automated Dako ChemMate amplification system staining. Oct2 demonstrated a positive, albeit variable, staining pattern in all cases following automated staining. CONCLUSIONS:CD30 remains negative in L&H cells of nLPHD using enhanced antigen retrieval and can therefore reliably be used to distinguish nLPHD from classical Hodgkin's disease. The value of EMA in the diagnosis of nLPHD remains uncertain, as it does not reproducibly mark L&H cells, even after the use of enhanced antigen retrieval. J-chain and Oct2 appear to be useful markers in the diagnosis of nLPHD using enhanced immunostaining and should therefore be included in lymphoma panels. Automated enhanced staining, using standardized protocols, precoated slides and the full system of prepared reagents, further diminishes the occurrence of errors associated with manual staining, and thereby improves confidence and reliability in diagnosing nLPHD.

Summary. This study evaluated the incidence and outcome of Hodgkin's disease (HD) in older patients using a population‐based approach. In total, 102 patients (52 men, 50 women) aged ≥ 60 years presented in the Northern Health Region of England (population of 3·09 million) between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 1998 and were studied prospectively. The age‐specific incidence was 1·97/100 000 for those aged 60–69 years, and 2·18/100 000 for those aged 70 years or over. The median age of the cohort was 70 years (range 60–91) and the median follow up was 63 months (range 20–113). Out of 95 treated patients, 70 (74%) obtained complete or good partial (> 90% response) remissions. In the 60 to 69‐year‐old group, the disease‐specific survival at 5 years was 100% for those presenting with early stage disease and 52% for those with advanced stage disease. In patients aged >70 years the 5 year disease‐specific survival was 36% in patients with early stage and 14% for patients with advanced stage disease. The survival of patients with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐positive tumours was significantly poorer than that of patients with EBV‐negative tumours ( P = 0·007); median survival in the former group was 20 months versus undefined in the latter group. In total, 43 deaths were due to progressive HD and five were treatment‐related. This study defined the incidence of HD in our population and demonstrated that the prognosis of elderly patients, particularly those with advanced stage disease, has not improved concurrently with that of patients aged < 60 years old. Novel approaches to assessment and treatment are necessary.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha is involved in the pathogenesis of established lymphoproliferative disease. Serum levels of TNFalpha and its soluble receptors are above normal values in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) and they are valuable prognostic markers in lymphoma patients. The production of TNFalpha is genetically controlled. Altered synthesis of TNFalpha has been associated with polymorphisms at the TNF gene cluster (i.e. TNFA, TNFB and LTB). In the present study, we evaluated the prevalence of the known high TNFalpha- and TNFbeta- producing alleles TNF1, TNF2 of the TNFA gene, TNFB1, TNFB2 alleles of the TNFB gene and of the polymorphic alleles TNFd1, d2, d3, d4 and d5 of the microsatellite TNFd in patients with B-CLL, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's disease (HD). This study demonstrates that there is no difference in the frequency of the tested TNF alleles between normal controls and cohorts of patients with lymphoproliferative disease. These results indicate that TNF alleles are not genetic predisposing factors in the development of these diseases.

Aims: Assessment of the expression of antigens CD5, CD10 and CD23 can be of value in the differential diagnosis of small B-cell lymphoma. Correct subclassification is important since optimal treatment regimes differ between the subtypes. The aim of this study was to generate monoclonal antibodies recognizing these antigens in paraffin-embedded tissue and to assess their efficacy using a panel of cases of small B-cell lymphoma of various subtypes.Methods and results: For each antibody synthetic recombinant protein and conventional murine hybridoma technology was employed. Monoclonal antibodies effective in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue were successfully generated, designated NCL-CD5-4C7, NCL-CD10-270 and NCL-CD23-1B12. respectively. A series of 58 cases of small B-cell lymphoma including examples of each subtype (lymphocytic, follicle centre cell, mantle cell, marginal zone and lymphoplasmacytoid) was assembled and immunostaining for the respective antigens carried out using the monoclonal antibodies produced. Our results indicate that the antibodies are specific for their respective antigens and give the predicted phenotypic profile in the small B-cell lymphoma subtypes.Conclusions: These novel monoclonal antibodies may be of value in routine diagnostic practice.

The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of using objective data at the time of diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease to predict those patients who were likely to die of progressive disease within four years. A neural approach was to be adopted for subsequent comparison with the traditional method based on a statistically derived index for the disease. All patients are aged between 15 and 55 years old and their data forms part of a multicentre investigation within the Scotland and Newcastle Lymphoma Group (SNLG) in the UK. The neural network first analysed 118 patients from the Newcastle centre alone. Outcome prediction was based on patient's age, clinical stage, lymphocyte count, haemoglobin level and bulk disease information. The overall classification rate in this case was 81.4%. Consequently, a blind analysis was carried out on 109 patients from the Edinburgh centre, where an overall classification rate of 82.6% was achieved. However, a crucial aim of the study was to compare the neural classification with the SNLG index in the case of poor-risk patients who had a low index at diagnosis.

Summary. We report a patient with pure red cell aplasia and type I autoimmune polyglandular syndrome who also had an expansion of suppressor T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Southern blotting of DNA from these cells suggested T cell receptor (TCR) γ gene rearrangement. We confirmed true clonality of this by amplification of the gene rearrangement using the polymerase chain reaction and subsequent analysis of the product by gene cloning and DNA sequencing.

Clinical & Laboratory HaematologyVolume 16, Issue 2 p. 197-200 Long term remission of acute myeloid leukaemia with trilineage myelodysplasia treated solely with low dose cytarabine F.R. JACK, F.R. JACK Department of Haematology, Middlesbrough General Hospital, Ayresome Green Lane, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS5 5AZ, UKSearch for more papers by this authorG.P. SUMMERFIELD, Corresponding Author G.P. SUMMERFIELD Department of Haematology, Middlesbrough General Hospital, Ayresome Green Lane, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS5 5AZ, UKDr G.P. Summerfield.Search for more papers by this author F.R. JACK, F.R. JACK Department of Haematology, Middlesbrough General Hospital, Ayresome Green Lane, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS5 5AZ, UKSearch for more papers by this authorG.P. SUMMERFIELD, Corresponding Author G.P. SUMMERFIELD Department of Haematology, Middlesbrough General Hospital, Ayresome Green Lane, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS5 5AZ, UKDr G.P. Summerfield.Search for more papers by this author First published: June 1994 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2257.1994.tb00408.xCitations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume16, Issue2June 1994Pages 197-200 RelatedInformation