Immunological identification of peripheral-blood lymphocytes from patients with lymphoproliferative disorders in Nigeria. II. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

The surface markers for blood T and B lymphocytes in sixteen consecutively diagnosed patients with CLL were sought for. There were twelve females and four males, and their ages ranged from 30 to 70 years. Although the absolute numbers of T and B lymphocytes were increased, the percentage scores as well as mitogenic responses of these leukaemic cells were depressed, and all the patients except one who has T-cell CLL were considered to have Null-cell CLL. This finding suggests that CLL may take an unusual form in a tropical environment, and this may account for the long remissions which often occur.