[Lymphocyte typing in chronic lymphoid leukemia].

We used the membrane fluorescence and the rosette formation test to study the lymphocyte populations in 25 patients with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The results show a significant increase, absolute and percent of S-Ig bearing cells, whereas the E and EA rosette forming cells are decreased in per cent, increased in absolute. The number of lymphocytes with the receptor for the Fc fragment of IgG, is unchanged. The lymphocytosis causes mainly a significant decrease in percentage of E rosette forming cells. A big splenomegaly and a bad clinical stage, according to Rai et al. classification, are responsible for a decrease of E, EA, EAC rosette forming cells; unchanged the percentage of S-Ig bearing cells. Such a modification of the surface receptor pattern is present not only in those CLL more advanced in clinical stage and with hyperleucocitosis and/or splenomegaly, but also in those forms with worse clinical feature and prognosis. Our work confirms that CLL is mainly a B proliferative disease; we observed only one case due to T cell proliferation. Four cases were impossible to classify immunologically: one had no cells bearing the markers, three had a subnormal surface receptor pattern.