[T- and B-lymphocytes in lymphoproliferative diseases].

T-cell and B-cell markers and the response of lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) have been studied in 62 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), in 3 patients with well-differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma and in 1 patient with lymphosarcoma. To investigate the functional integrity of T-lymphocytes in 10 patients with CLL the response of the T-cell-rich population to PHA was determined. The leukemic lymphocytes in all the cases but one had B-cell characteristic. The T-cell-rich population would show a normal response to PHA.