Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic activity in patients with Hodgkin disease.

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic activity (ADCC) of twenty-one previously treated patients (stage I--IV) with Hodgkin disease (HD) and eleven healthy controls was studied using specific antibody coated chicken erythrocyte target cells. Cytotoxicity was found to be normal in seven, slightly increased in ten, and considerably increased in four patients. No correlation with the absolute number of lymphocytes, the percentage of spontaneous rosette-forming cells and immunoglobulin bearing lymphocytes was noted. Nor did ADCC correlate with age and clinical or histological classification.