Evidence for origin of certain childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemias and lymphomas in thymus-derived lymphocytes

Abstract

Lymphoblasts from children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or malignant lymphoblastic lymphoma were studied using surface markers characteristic of T and B lymphocytes. A Bcell marker, i.e. surface immunoglobulin, was absent in all cases studied. Fourteen of 22 children (64%) had lymphoblasts with one or both markers of T lymphocytes, i.e. receptors for sheep erythrocytes (E) and/or human T-lymphocyte antigen (HTLA) detectable using heterologous antithymocyte sera abmrbed with B lymphocytes. In all instances, lymphoblasts which carried E

Morphology of lymphatic cells and of their derived tumours.

“…The cells, whether in the marrow or elsewhere, are of lymphoblasts with E receptors (Borella and Sen, 1973;Smith et al, 1973;Catovsky et al, 1974a;Kaplan et al, 1974;Ritter et al, 1975;Stein et al, 1976) and/or human T-lymphocyte antigen (Kersey et al, 1975;Greaves, 1977). The finding in some cases of complement receptors in addition to the E receptor has been interpreted as an indication that the cells derive from immature T-precursor cells (Stein et al, 1976).…”

Surface marker studies in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma**Read in part at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia, Canberra, 4-8 September 1978.

“…Such studies have indicated that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (Pernis et al, 1971 ;Aisenberg & Bloch, 1972;Preud'homme & Seligmann, 1972;Moller, 1973;Kersey et al, 1978) and the majority of malignant lymphomas in adults (Leech et al, 1975;Gajl-Peczalska et al, 1975;Aisenberg & Long, 1975;Lukes et al, 1978;Kersey et al, 1978) appear to represent instances of clonal proliferations of B lymphocytes. In most childhood acute lymphocytic leukaemias the abnormal cells either show characteristics of T lymphocytes (Lukes & Collins, 1974;Stein et al, 1976;Catovsky & Galton, 1976) or lack conventional markers to identify them as either T or B lymphocytes or monocytes (Brouet et al, 1975;Kersey et al, 1975;Sen & Borella, 1975). It has also become increasingly evident that true histiocytic lymphomas are uncommon (Aisenberg & Long, 1975;Gajl-Peczalska et al, 1975;Lukes et al, 1978;Siegal et a/., 1978).…”

Comparison of enzyme-cytochemical findings and immunological marker investigations in acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL)

“…At present no one questions the existence of two distinct types of ALL: T-ALL and O-ALL, according to widely accepted immunological criteria [5,7,9,13]. T-ALL is classified by a membrane antigen which is supposed to be specific for T-lymphocytes and their precursors.…”

“…The ability of these cells to form non-immune rosettes with SRBC is taken as an additional proof, but not as absolute presupposition for their T-cell nature. It has been shown that lymphoblasts of some T-ALL cases express both T-lymphocyte specific markers-receptors for SRBC and T-membrane antigen-whereas cells from other T-ALL cases carry only T-antigen [9,13,20]. Cases of ALL lacking all T-and B-cell markers were classified as "O"-ALL [5,7,20].…”

“…Recently specific membrane antigens, so far associated with O-ALL cells only, have been demonstrated [7,17]. With regard to their clinical findings and prognosis, T-ALL and O-ALL show several differences [5,13,17,21]. Therefore, a reliable and simple discrimination between both types would be of clinical value.…”