Lymphoblastic lymphoma: an immunophenotype study of 26 cases with comparison to T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A series of 26 lymphoblastic lymphomas (LLs) and 13 T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs) were investigated using a battery of monoclonal antibodies applied to tissue frozen sections. Twenty-one of the LLs were of T lineage. All but one of the T cell LLs were of immature thymic phenotype, mostly corresponding to stage II cortical thymocyte development. The T cell LLs expressed Leu-1 in 100%, Leu-4 and Leu-9 in 95%, and Leu-5 in 85% of the cases. The high percentage of Leu-4 expression in this series is probably due to detection of cytoplasmic antigen with our methods. One LL was of pre-B or B cell and two cases were of common ALL phenotype. Two cases were of undefined phenotype, expressing markers of both B and T cell differentiation. Pediatric cases showed a greater tendency toward T cell phenotype than did adult cases. The cases of T cell ALL were immunophenotypically similar to the cases of T cell LL but showed a tendency toward a more immature phenotype.