A study of 140 patients with B-cell chronic lympoheucosis using flow c
ytometry of DNA of lymphocytes evidences an interrelation between the
severity of the clinical course of the disease and state of lymphocyte
DNA. The authors propose to distinguish 2 variants of chronic lymphol
eucosis: accumulative and proliferative. In the former DNA-ploidity an
d kinetics of tumour lymphocytes did riot differ from that in the heal
thy; in the latter-progression of the disease depended on S-phase lymp
hocyte contact. Progression of the severity of chronic lympholeucosis
is accompaneed by marked increase of polyploid cell in the S-phase tha
t may be a criterion for early diagnosis of malignant transformation o
f chronic lympholeucosis.