Abstract :
After a review of the recent physiologic, cellular genetic and molecular genetic acquisitions, a critical comment of the proposed classification is presented concerning especially a) the inclusion in the so-called ”precursor B-lymphoblastic leukemias”, which are pre-B neoplasias, of Burkittʹs leukemic lymphoma, the cells of which are sIg+, hence B and not pre B; b) the inclusion in the chronic B lymphocytic leukemia of the so-called Galtonʹs “prolymphocytic” leukemia, the cells of which are also sIg+, thus B and not pro B. In fact, the transformed blastoid medium size cells of this leukemia present the markers of the plasmablasts, which are the precursors of the long-lived plasma cells and migrate from the lymphoid tissue T-zone to bone marrow, where they secrete IgD, or G, or E, or to the mucosae, where they secrete IgA. Thus the so called “B-prolymphocytic leukemia” is the leukemic conversion of the (blastoid medium size cell) plasmablast lymphoma. There is in the new classification, a “large cell lymphoma” entity, which makes redundance with the “large cell follicle centre lymphoma”. This large cell lymphoma representes a heterogen complex, as it includes the B-immunoblastic lymphoma which is not presented as an entity. As far as T lymphomas are concerned, it is not indicated that the CD8 cells may be CD57 + or −, and CD28 + or −. It could be mentionned that the cytotoxic T-cells are CD8+ C57− CD28+, while the suppressor T-cells are CD8+ CD57+ CD28.
