Idiotype‐bearing Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Human Multiple Myeloma and Waldenström's Macroglobulinaemia

Abstract

Antisera raised against idiotypic determinants (ID) of myeloma proteins and macroglobulins were used to differentiate peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) populations from individual patients. ID-positive lymphocytes not resembling plasma cells were regularly found in peripheral blood in these diseases. For further characterization ID-positive lymphocytes were enriched from the peripheral blood by affinity chromatography using heterologous anti-idiotypic sera. Two patients with Ig[immunoglobulin]G myeloma, 1 patient with Waldenstrom''s macroglobulinemia and 2 persons with benign monoclonal hyperglobulinemia (BMH) were examined by this technique. The ID-positive PBL population was heterogeneous with respect to non-tumor-specific surface markers, such as sheep erythrocytes (SRBC), Fc and C [complement] receptors. Tumor-specific idiotypic determinants will allow a more correct recognition of the total tumor cell compartment in these diseases.