The three figures on the cover illustrate the laboratory and
epidemiologic considerations addressed in this volume. The top figure is
taken from Chapter 2, Figure 6, Case 11. It shows one of the abnormal B-cell
lymphocyte phenotypes, uncovered in the environmental health studies described
in Chapter 1, that led to convening the USPHS conference on which this
volume is based. The middle figure is taken from Chapter 3, Figure 1. It
shows representative selections of lymphocytes from three study participants
who were confirmed to have monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, a condition
associated with malignant diseases including chronic lymphocytic leukemia
(CLL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The bottom figure is a graph showing
the age-adjusted incidence of CLL (lowest curve) and NHL (next-lowest curve)
from US cancer surveillance data. Also shown on the graph are data points
representing the abnormal B-cell phenotypes described Chapter 1 (shown
in red), and data from Chapter 10 on the prevalence of monoclonal B-cell
lymphocytosis in the United Kingdom (dashed line). The need to determine
the relationship between these laboratory findings, their ultimate expression
as disease, and the contribution of environmental risk factors forms the
crux of this volume.
This publication was supported in whole by funds
from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act trust fund through the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,
Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Table of Contents
Return To Title Page
Included on this CD-ROM with permission
Disclaimer
The use of company or product names is for identification
only and does not constitute endorsement by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes
of Health, the Public Health Service, or the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.