The lymphocyte in Hodgkin's disease: Has it lost its way

The authors recently developed a technique which makes the study of lymphocyte migration in man a viable proposition and they applied the methodology to Hodgkins disease (HD). Peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained from patients with HD by using a Hemonetics cell separator. Yields of approximately 10 have been obtained and this allows a sufficient quantity of radioactivity to be injected without exceeding the critical lymphocyte specific activity of 20-40 μCi per 10 cells which has been shown to alter their recirculation in experimental animals. The residual red cells, granulocytes and platelets are then removed and the lymphocytes resuspended in saline. They are then labelled with indium-111. The cells are then reinjected into the patient and their subsequent fate determined by use of serial blood sampling and gamma camera imaging. Seven patients with HD have been studied and the results are proving consistent. (Auth.)