OBJECTIVES: Study the relevance of a high proportion of tumor cells to the clinical and biological properties of classic Hodgkin lymphoma. METHODS: Tumor cells were counted in sections of the lymphoma stained with CD30,as this highlights the tumor cells of this neoplasm.We assessed abundant malignant cells (≥99 cells/10 high power fields) as the median count of tumor cells. RESULTS: A wealth of tumor cells was detected in 61 (52.1%) patients, in contrast with 56 (47.9%) patients with a low count.No clinical variance was found between cases rich or poor in malignant cells,except for a statistically significant preference of a high rate of tumor cells for female patients as well as for a high expression of measles virus antigens.The apoptotic tumor cell distribution showed no major disparity with the neoplasm characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The entire type spectrum of Hodgkin lymphoma as evaluated by the tumor cell count has no direct bearing on the course of the lymphoma. But there might be indirect evidence for an association of a high tumor cell count,female preference,a strong expression of measles virus antigens and a poor prognosis