Beta-glucuronidase activity of lymph node imprints from malignant lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

beta-Glucuronidase activity was semiquantitatively estimated in the cells of lymph node (LN) imprints from patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD), diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), normal lymph nodes, and benign lymphadenopathies. In addition, in some of these cases beta-glucuronidase activity was semiquantitatively determined in peripheral blood smear lymphocytes. The beta-glucuronidase score (betaGS) was very low in the cells of the LN imprints from patients with diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The LN lymphocytes of HD had a normal betaGS independently of the histological subtype of the disease, while in the LN imprint of CLL the enzyme activity was low, normal, or high. The betaGS of the lymphocytes in LN imprints of normal controls and HD were in general significantly lower compared with he lymphocytes of the peripheral blood smears in the same cases. The relation of our findings to the B and T cell origin of malignant lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is discussed.