Detection of aneuploidy and polyploidy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by computer video image analysis

Thirty-six cases of histologically intermediate and low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, classified according to the International Working Formulation, were examined using image analysis cytometry. Aneuploidy was detected in 21 cases (58%). No significant difference in either the incidence or extent of aneuploidy was seen for cases that entered remission when compared to cases that did not. Bone marrow examinations, by either aspiration or trephine biopsy, were conducted on 34 cases, with 11 showing lymphocytic infiltration. Aneuploidy was detected in 6 of the 11 cases having bone marrow involvement, while 5 cases with bone marrow infiltration were euploid. Polyploid cell distributions were detected in 3 cases, and the remaining 12 cases were diploid. The biologic significance of polyploidy among non-Hodgkin's lymphomas is not well understood, and its detection is limited to static techniques for DNA quantitation. With further investigation, awareness of its presence may reveal some insight into the clonal evolution of this neoplasm.