Fluorescent bodies in lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The relative frequency of lymphocytes with nuclear Y-body-like fluorescent structures (F-bodies) was examined in ten patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and in ten normal individuals. In each patient, the frequency was significantly higher as compared to that of normal controls. Female CLL patients showed a significantly higher proportion of F-body-positive (F-body +) cells than male CLL patients, whereas in normal males and females similar frequencies of F-body + cells were observed. There was no apparent relationship between the frequency of F-body + lymphocytes and the relative age of an individual. The presence of F-bodies in CLL had no obvious correlation with the presence of karyotypic abnormalities in these patients. Isolated T and B lymphocytes derived from four normal subjects showed no extra F-bodies as found in CLL patients.