The T and B lymphocyte content of lymph nodes and spleen in Hodgkin's disease.

Lymphocytes from tumour-bearing lymph nodes in 15 patients with Hodgkin's disease, and lymphocytes from 6 spleens infiltrated by Hodgkin's tissue and 6 tumour-free spleens were studied using T and B lymphocyte markers. For comparison, lymphocytes from 16 tumour-free lymph nodes were similarly assessed. It was found that the tumour-bearing nodes showed a predominance of T lymphocytes compared with the control nodes, whereas in involved splenic tissue the proportion of T lymphocytes was slightly reduced compared with uninvolved spleens.