Objective: To search the difference of the angiogenic activity between T/NK-cell lymphomas and B-cell lymphomas.
Methods: The T/NK-cell was stained immunohistochemically by CD56 and CD45 RO, the B-cell was by CD20, the microvessel endothelium was by CD34. Sixty-one cases were studied to examine the immunophenotype and to estimate the intratumoral microvessel density (iMVD).
Results: Forty in 61 cases (65.6%) expressed the immunophenotype of both T-cell and Natural Killer cell, were diagnosed T/NK-cell lymphomas. Fifteen in 61 cases (24.6%) expressed the immunophenotype of B-cell. There was a significant difference in incidence between the two types of lymphomas (chi 2 = 22.4, P < 0.01). The mean of iMVD/HPF was 24.1 +/- 8.7 in 40 cases of T/NK-cell lymphomas, while the mean of iMVD/HPF was 14.9 +/- 3.8 in 15 cases of B-cell lymphomas. The difference (t = 3.7, P < 0.05) was significant.
Conclusion: The angiogenic activity of T/NK-cell lymphomas is much more than that of B-cell lymphomas. This study shows nasal/nasopharyngeal T/NK-cell lymphomas are with evident angiogenic activity.