THE CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF L26, A B-CELL-SPECIFIC ANTIBODY, IN HODGKINS-DISEASE

Although Reed-Sternberg cells and their variants (RS/V) in most cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) lack lymphocyte-associated antigens, some ca ses of HD, particularly nodular lymphocyte-predominant HD (NLPHD), con tain RS/V cells that appear to be of B-cell origin. This study was des igned to test whether differences in clinical presentation and therape utic response exist between patients with HD of various histologic typ es whose tumors contain RS/V cells that express antigens recognized by L26, an antibody directed against B lymphocytes, and those that do no t. We studied 46 patients with stages I and II HD who were treated wit h radiotherapy alone between 1969 and 1986. Although the expression of L26 and the other antibodies was not predictive for relapse-free, cau se-specific, or absolute survival, the labeling of the RS/V cells with L26, independent of histologic type, was significantly associated wit h peripheral lymph nodal presentation, male gender, and infradiaphragm atic presentation.