IMMUNOPEROXIDASE STAINING OF NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMAS FOR T-CELL LINEAGE ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS IN PARAFFIN SECTIONS - COMPARISON OF THE PERFORMANCE-CHARACTERISTICS OF 4 COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE ANTIBODY PREPARATIONS

Paraffin sections of 133 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (69 B-cell ty pe and 64 T-cell type) were stained in a labeled streptavidin biotin i mmunoperoxidase technique with a panel of antibodies that recognized T -lymphocyte associated antigens. This study was done to determine the sensitivity and specificity of these reagents for phenotyping T-cell l ymphomas. UCHL-1, polyclonal anti-CD3, Leu-22, and OPD4 stained 78%, 7 2%, 91%, and 69% of the cases of T-cell lymphomas, respectively. The p henotype of L-26 negative and CD3 or UCHL-1 positive accurately predic ted T-cell phenotype in 95% (60 of 63) of the T-cell lymphomas and was not seen in any of the cases of B-cell lymphoma. Although Leu-22 was the most sensitive T-cell-associated marker in this series, its lack o f specificity for T-lymphocytes limited its usefulness as part of a ro utine panel designed to distinguish between T-cell and B-cell lymphoma s. In conjunction with other reports, this study supports the use of t he T-cell markers CD3 and UCHL-1 in combination with the B-cell-associ ated marker L-26 to phenotype most efficiently non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in paraffin sections.