Flow Cytometric Analysis of Surface Immunoglobulin Light Chains of Peripheral Blood Nonphagocytic Mononuclear Cells in Patients with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Flow cytometric analysis of surface immunoglobulin light chains (kappa-lambda analysis, KLA) of peripheral blood nonphagocytic cells was performed to detect monoclonal B cell populations. The differential constants between the two histograms of kappa and lambda bearing cells (D values) of 24 samples from 20 patients with B cell lymphoma (BCL) in clinical stage (CS) III/IV were higher than those of 13 BCL patients in CS I/II (p < 0.001) and those of 11 samples from 10 HCL patients in complete remission (p < 0.001). By sequential KLA of patients with active BCL in CS III/IV, high D values decreased to the normal range when they achieved complete remission. Thus KLA is a useful parameter to evaluate the stage of advanced B cell lymphoma in complete remission or not. 24. samples from 22 patients with T cell lymphoma also showed high D values. Therefore, abnormal KLA does not indicate the lineage of lymphoma cells.