The effect ofin vitro irradiation on mitogenic responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with untreated and cured Hodgkin's disease

Blood lymphocytes from 10 untreated patients with active Hodgkin's disease were compared with those of 10 cured patients with regard to the responsiveness of the cells to PHA and Con A following in vitro irradiation. Lymphocytes of patients remaining in long-term remission exhibited the same pattern of radiosensitivity as those of healthy donors: there was one relatively radiosensitive cell population and one relatively resistant. The latter cell population was undetectable in patients with an active disease. Reappearance of the radioresistant PHA and Con A reactive cell fractions might thus be associated with remission.