Différenciation lymphoïde T méthodes d'exploration des lymphocytes T et applications aux lymphoproliférations T/NK

Abstract

T-cells are generated in thymus from hematopoietic precursor cells. T-cell differentiation includes T-cell receptor gene rearrangement, positive and negative selection processes, and eventual maturation steps. T-cells recently emigrated from thymus are integrated into the pool of naive cells, which have not yet encountered their antigen. Apart from cytological examination, blood investigation in search of T/NK lymphoma is based on (i) immunophenotypic characterization of T and NK subsets using flow cytometry, allowing to suspect the diagnosis, but globally less determining than in the setting of B-cell proliferations ; and on (ii) detection of a T-cell clone, most often realized through a molecular — based technique, involving PCR. However, due to rarity and great variety of different entities encompassed by the wide term of T/NK lymphoma, the diagnosis should be firmly established only when taking into account the whole clinical, morphological, immunophenotypic, and molecular data.