Report of a Three-Year Study of Red Cell Mobility and the Slowing Factor in Serum of Persons with Lymphoma

1) A variety of pathologic conditions retard the electrophoretic mobility of the red blood cell.

2) Two retarding factors have been found in the blood serum, one that reduces the mobility of the red cell from normal (1.33µ/cm./sec./volt) to 0.89µ and one that reduces it to 1.14µ.

3) The "0.89" factor and the "1.14" factor can be differentiated and identified.

4) The 0.89-factor has been found in the serum of 99 per cent of patients with cancer and Hodgkin’s disease studied and has been lacking from the serum of all persons with benign tumor.

5) The 0.89-factor has also been found in patients with infectious mononucleosis.

6) A few physical characteristics that enable differentiation of the two slowing factors are described.

7) Clarification of the role played by the 0.89-factor in malignant neoplasm is deemed important.

8) Determination of the presence or absence of the 0.89-factor in the blood serum may become of value in differential diagnosis of malignant neoplasm.