[Application of the peripheral leukocyte cytofluorogram to diagnosis and treatment of hematopoietic tumors--with special reference to its effectiveness in malignant lymphoma].

In 1970 Adams and Kamentsky reported on a technique for classifying human peripheral leukocytes into three groups-lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes using supravital staining with a solution of acridine orange, and analyzing the resulting cell suspension with the Cytofluorogram. For the purpose of clinical application of flowcytometry, we investigated the clinical significance of this cytofluorogram of peripheral leukocytes. Cytofluorograms showed characteristic pattern in such hematopoietic malignancies as acute leukemias, chronic leukemias and malignant lymphomas, and turned out to be applicable to the diagnosis of these diseases. Especially in malignant lymphoma, cytofluorogram showed either normal or abnormal pattern. An abnormal cytofluorogram indicated poor prognosis, and an abnormal pattern of cytofluorogram became normalized after chemotherapy against lymphoma. Interestingly, those patients who showed in abnormal pattern relapsed in a short period, even when they were though diagnosed in remission. These data suggest that cytofluorograms are useful in diagnosing, predicting relapse and evaluating therapeutic effects for the treatment of malignant lymphoma. We hope that the analysis of cytofluorogram of peripheral leukocytes in lymphoma will provide a new benefit for further investigation of this disease.