[Immunohistochemical study using T-cell lymphoma antibody 1 and CD44 in diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma].

Objective: To study the values of immunohistochemistry using T-cell lymphoma antibody (TCL) 1 and CD44 in the diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma.

Methods: Immunohistochemical study for TCL1, CD44, CD10, bcl-2, bcl-6, c-myc and Ki-67 was performed on paraffin-embedded sections of lymphoma cases, including 25 cases of Burkitt's lymphoma and 25 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Results: Burkitt's lymphoma commonly expressed TCL1 (96%, 24 cases), CD10 (88%, 22 cases), bcl-6 and c-myc (92%, 23 cases). Only 1 case (4%) expressed CD44 and bcl-2. The Ki-67 proliferation index ranged from 95% to 100%. On the other hand, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma expressed CD44 (84%, 21 cases), CD10 (32%, 8 cases), bcl-6 (72%, 18 cases) and bcl-2 (72%, 18 cases). Four cases (16%) were weakly positive for TCL1. The staining for c-myc was all negative. The Ki-67 proliferation index ranged from 40% to 90%.

Conclusion: Immunohistochemical staining for TCL1 and CD44 is a useful ancillary tool in the pathologic diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma which is also helpful for the differential diagnosis from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.