TRANSIENT DEPRESSION OF LW(A) ANTIGEN WITH COINCIDENT PRODUCTION OF ANTI-LW(A) REPEATED IN RELAPSES OF MALIGNANT-LYMPHOMA

Three years ago, a 71-year-old female was admitted because of general lymphadenopathy. She had been on medication for hypothroidism, but had no history of pregnancy or blood transfusion. T-cell lymphoma was fou nd. Since then, she has been treated with intermittent chemotherapy. T he patient's LW(a) antigen was depressed during two relapses of the ly mphoma and anti-LW(a) was detected simultaneously on both occasions. W hen she entered remission after therapy, her LW phenotype converted fr om LW(a-) to LW(a+), and this was accompanied by the disappearance of anti-LW(a). This suggests that LW(a-) was a transient phenotype. In th e first relapse, a total of 8 units of D- LW(a+) packed red cells and 20 units of platelets were transfused during 1 month without any haemo lytic reaction. In these relapses, nonhaemolytic anaemia, hyper-gamma- globulinaemia and remarkable bone-marrow infiltration with lymphoplasm a cells were recognized. She also possessed antithyroglobulin and anti microsomal antibodies; however, these autoantibodies did not change wi th the relapses. These results suggests that the recurrent depressions of LW(a) may be closely related to the underlying disease.