[Diagnostic value of the differential lymphatic blood picture in leukemic non-Hodgkin's lymphomas]

In 84 leukemic non-Hodgkin-lymphomas the diagnostic evidence of peripheral blood smears in Pappenheim-staining and diverse cytochemical reactions (PAS, alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase, acid phosphatase, acid esterase, beta-glucuronidase) was analysed using a homogeneous cell grid (lymphatic differential blood picture). In all entities the small lymphocyte proved to be the most frequent cell-form. The other lymphomas of low malignity (intermediate malignity) can clearly be demarcated from the CLL by the more intense polymorphism of the blood smears and in the majority can be classified entity-related by the differential blood picture. For the diagnostic evidence of the differential blood picture proved significant that entity-typical cell-forms (e.g. lymphoplasmacytoid lymphocytes, centrocytes) following the small (mature) lymphocyte as cell-type of second frequency are flooded out into the peripheral blood in non-Hodgkin-lymphomas. Highly malignant lymphomas could clearly be demarcated from low-malignant ones by their higher proportion of blasts in the differential blood picture. Of the cytochemical reactions only the acid phosphatase, with definitely focal-perinuclear reaction, an importance as T-cell marker is ascribed.