Monoclonal antibodies and the lymphoid malignancies

A comprehensive classification of the lymphoid malignancies with correlation between histology, clinical disease and with prognostic value has proved difficult to formulate, partly because of the heterogeneous nature of these neoplasms, inadequate definition of non neoplastic cells in the admixture of neoplastic cells and also as a result of the paucity of special techniques to supplement light microscopy in the study. The introduction of monoclonal antibodies against human leucocyte antigens for diagnosis in the lymphoid malignancies using the immunofluorescence or immunoperoxidase technique has provided a basic working immunological formulation and greatly advanced understanding of the biology of these diseases and the maturational staging of normal B and T lymphocytes. This review briefly looks into recent advances and presents a simplified approach to understanding this rapidly advancing field especially for clinicians.