Clinical relevance of immunotyping of oncologic and hematologic diseases

Abstract

Progress in immunology and molecular biology have provided a better understanding of etiology, pathogenesis and biology of many oncological and hematological diseases. In clinical practice, certain new methods of immunotyping (IT) are of diagnostic importance in assigning undifferentiated tumors to lymphoid, epithelial or mesenchymal origin and in defining subgroups of leukemias and lymphomas. The demonstration of rearrangements of gene coding for immunoglobulins or T-cell receptors assigns hematological malignancies of early differentiation to the B- or T-cell lineage, discriminates between reactive lymphoid changes and clonal lymphoid expansion and detects persistent clonal growth after therapy. In certain clinical entities (e.g. ALL) the immunological subtypes are of importance for differential therapy. By means of IT new clinical entities have been defined (Ki-1-lymphoma, T gamma-lymphoproliferative, LFA-1-deficiency) and the pathomechanisms of others have been elucidated (Bernard-Soulier-disease Syndrome, Glanzmann-Nägeli thrombasthenia). Of immediate therapeutic importance is the identification by IT of receptors for specific hormones or biological response modifiers on malignant cells. In-vivo diagnosis by monoclonal antibodies opens a way to define more exactly the extent of malignant disease by scintigrams or NMR.