A group of six patients with a marked gastric lymphoid “hyperplasia”, two of these with generalised lymphoma and the others suspected for primary gastric lymphoma, were investigated to discriminate between simple reactive hyperplasias and lymphomatous proliferations. Microscopical and ultrastructural examinations were not useful for this purpose but immunological data can give evidence of a two-fold nature of gastric lymphoid hyperplasia. Some cases are without immunological disorders, others are met with peripheral blood signs of immunological alterations similar to those observed in malignant lymphomas and in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Only these latter cases should, in our opinion, be regarded as primitive gastric lymphomas.

A case of immunoproliferative disorder with clinical features of Waldenström’s disease but with an IgG-k instead of IgM serum M component is described. The lymphocyte population in the bone marrow, blood and lymph nodes was studied by rosette test, culture with PHA and immunofluorescence staining. Most of the bone marrow lymphocytes had membrane IgG. This case represents an intermediate form between myeloma and Waldenström’s disease, thus supporting the Unitarian concept of all the immunoproliferative disorders

The specific tumor-induced LIF production in 30 laryngeal cancer patients has been investigated before and after the removal of adherent cells to evaluate the existence of a suppressor activity. LIF production, after challenging lymphocytes with 3 M KCI autologous tumor extracts, was significant in 16 patients and showed a further significant increase after removal of adherent cells. A conversion to significance when the adherent cells were removed was shown in 6 patients, with no previous significant LIF production. These data suggest the existence of a suppressor activity exerted by adherent cells on LIF production in laryngeal cancer patients.

The production of leukocyte migration inhibition factor (LIF) from lymphocytes after stimulation with 3 M KCl soluble tumor and normal mucosa extracts was investigated in 30 patients with laryngeal carcinoma at different development stages and in 30 normal donors. The experiments were performed in heterologous and autologous systems. In heterologous systems 3 M KCl tumor extracts induced LIF production by heterologous lymphocytes from patients in 91% of the cases, and normal mucosa extracts induced LIF production by heterologous lymphocytes from patients in 73% of the cases and from normal donors in 90% of the cases. In autologous systems 3 M KCl tumor extracts induced LIF production by autologous lymphocytes from the same patients in 65% of the cases, whereas the normal laryngeal mucosa extracts induced LIF production by the same autologous lymphocytes in the 6% of the cases. The high positivity percentage of the test in heterologous systems could be related to differences in the major histocompatibility complex. The 65% test positivity in autologous systems using tumor extracts could be related to the presence of tumor associated antigens.

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Blood was cultured from 17 normal subjects, 28 cases of untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and 41 cases of Hodgkin's disease. Macrophages were not observed in PHA-stimulated cultures of normal subjects, of CLL or of 18 cases of Hodgkin's disease. The latter had an almost normal rate of lymphocyte blast transformation (70,2 +/- 7,2%).on the other hand, macrophages were numerous in PHA-stimulated cultures of 23 cases of Hodgkin's disease with a low blast transformation (28.4 +/- 13,7%). In Hodgkin's disease the development of macrophages in PHA cultures may be related to the lower blast transformation and cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes. In CLL the dilution of lymphocytes and monocytes by leukaemic B cells may account both for PHA unresponsiveness and low yield of macrophages in culture.