[The immunophenotypic lymphocyte analysis of orbital lymphadenosis and its significance]

An immunophenotypic lymphocyte analysis of 56 cases of orbital lymphadenosis was performed with a panel of 10 monoclonal antibodies against the lymphocyte differentiation antigen by the streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate method to reveal that (1) all 15 cases of inflammatory pseudotumor and 32 of 33 cases of reactive lymphocyte hyperplasia manifested polyclonality of the constituent cells; (2) the immunophenotype of cells was monoclonal in 2 of 3 cases of atypical lymphocyte hyperplasia and diagnosis of malignant lymphoma (ML) were established; and (3) among 5 cases of ML, the cells were shown to be B-cells in 4 cases and T-cells in 1 case. These results suggested that immunophenotyping could be useful in differentiating the benign from the malignant orbital lymphadenosis and the histologic types of ML. The relationship between pathologic and immunologic classifications of orbital lymphadenosis was also discussed.