Cellular and Humoral Immunity in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Correlation of Immunodeficiencies with Clinicopathologic Factors

Abstract

Immune function was evaluated in 28 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients in an attempt to correlate the occurrence of immunodeficiency with the prognostic clinicopathologic factors, lymph-node histology, and clinical stage of disease. Anergy to a battery of recall antigens occurred infrequently (4/28) and only in patients who had Stage IV disease (4/8) (p = less than .004), but did not correlate with lymph-node histology. In contrast to anergy, cellular immunodeficiencies were often detected by lack of response to keyhole limpet hemocyanin immunization in patients regardless of stage. Reductions in at least two of three Ig fractions were found in a third of the patients, with, again, a significantly greater incidence in Stage IV patients (p = less than .005). No significant correlation with histologic type was possible. The response to phytohemagglutinin in vitro was reduced in the patients, but this was of no correlative value.

Antibodies to JC and BK viruses among persons with non‐Hodgkin lymphoma

“…2). There are few published data regarding antibody production in persons with NHL,17, 18 which suggest a modest reduction in overall IgG levels related to NHL, perhaps limited to certain NHL subtypes or to especially advanced disease. Nonetheless, the best argument against a major disease effect in the present instance is provided by our data on BKV, a virus closely related to JCV: the similarity in BKV antibody levels between cases and controls would indicate that persons with NHL can make appropriate levels of IgG antibody, at least in response to chronic infections with polyomaviruses.…”

Pulmonary tuberculosis infection and CMV reactivation following daratumumab treatment in a patient with relapsed plasmablastic lymphoma

“…Cellular and humoral immunity in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma frequently demonstrated hypogammaglobulinemia and, rarely, anergy. 12 , 13 The treatments for lymphoma also affect the immune system. 14 There are studies of immunologic function indicate defects in cell mediated immunity to herpes viruses for lymphoma patients treated with immunosuppressive agents.…”

Prospects for the Treatment of B Cell Tumors Using Idiotypic Vaccination

“…The capability of patients with follicular disease to mount a good primary immune response is unknown, as few studies have been made in untreated patients. In one investigation, which used KLH as the primary antigen, 75 percent of patients with lymphoma produced significant levels of anti-KLH antibody, compared to 85 percent of the normal subjects [152]. This suggests that there is no major loss of humoral responsiveness, which bodes well for attempts at immunization.…”