Lymphoid leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma type continuum, superimposed to lymphocyte differentiation step continuum. A proposition for a revised W. H. O. lympiioid leukemia-lymphoma categorisation.

We have classified 200 cases of lymphoid leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (LL and L) typed with as many monoclonal antibodies as possible for each case in the WHO Leukemia and Lymphoma categorisation modified according to the today knowledge of normal cell differentiation. We have found that the lymphoid acute leukemias correspond respectively to normal differentiation steps: the [microblastic] to the polyvalent stem cell TdT+, Ia+, B4- or to the lymphoid progenitor TdT+, Ia+, B4-; the [prolymphoblastic T] to the prothymocyte TdT+, OKT11+, OKT10+, 9+, 6-, 4-, 8-; the [prolymphoblastic non T] to the B precursor B4+, B1+, J5+, C mu-, sIg-; the [T-macrolymphoblastic] to the OKT6+ thymocyte; the [B-macrolymphoblastic] to the large pre-B C mu+; the [prolymphocytic T] to the OKT6-, 3+, 4+ and 8+ thymocyte; the [prolymphocytic B] to the small pre-B C mu+; the Burkitt's leukemia to a pre-B cell transformed into a lymphoblastoid cell sIg mu. The B-CLL is constituted of sIg mu+, gamma-, Ia+, B4+, B1+, FC+ virgin lymphocytes and the T-cell either of OKT3+, 4+ or of 8+ peripheral T-lymphocyte, the mantle zone B- lymphoma is constituted of sIg mu+, FC- primary lymphocytes. The B-centro-follicular lymphomas are made of sIg mu+, delta+, gamma+ either small cell cleaved, or large cell. The Burkitt's and non-endemic Burkitt's lymphomas are made of transformed cells into sIg mu+ lymphoblastoid B-cells. We have described a non-blastic, non-Burkitt's, non-follicular, medium cell lymphoma sIg+. The B-immunoblastic lymphoma is sIg mu+, delta-, gamma+, FC+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)