[T and B lymphocytes in skin changes of cutaneous lymphoma (author's transl)]

In 30 patients with benign or malignant lymphoreticular proliferation of the skin (38 skin biopsies) the percentage of immunoglobulin-bearing (B) and of spontaneous rosette-forming (T) lymphocytes was determined in cell suspension from homogenized tissue. Four main classes of cutaneous lymphoma could be differentiated: lymphocyte-rich (more than 50% of the infiltrate cells, predominantly B-lymphocytic, predominantly T-lymphocytic, mixed B and T-lymphocytic), lymphocyte-depleted (less than 50% of infiltrate cells), reticulo-histio-monocytic infiltrates, and reticulo- or lymphosarcoma. A definite statement was not possible (other than in leukaemic processes) if the accumulation of lymphocytic cells represented the primary malignant process rather than a concomitant inflammatory reaction. A clinically useful differentiation was into hyperplasia, paraplasia and neoplasia, as this takes into account different histopathological characteristics of cutaneous lymphomas (reactive hyperplastic/autonomic proliferative: benign/malignant; reversible/irreversible; systemic/nonsystemic; metastasizing/nonmetastasizing).