Abnormal Cells in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Hodgkin's Disease

Abstract

Summary. The characteristics of large, abnormal cells in the peripheral blood of patients with Hodgkin's disease have been investigated with cytochemical stains. It was possible to distinguish clearly cells of the granulocytic series, megakaryocyte parts, cells of the mononuclear phagocytic system and immunoblasts. These cells, however, are not specific for Hodgkin's disease, for they could also be found in normal subjects, in patients with infectious mononucleosis or cytomegalovirus disease and patients with lympho‐ or reticulosarcoma. Cells considered to indicate dissemination of Hodgkin's disease could only be detected in the peripheral blood of patients with this condition, and not in the other diseases mentioned above. These cells do not react with the periodic acid Schiff stain, Sudan black, peroxidase, non‐specific esterase and sometimes faintly with methyl green pyronin. It is therefore improbable that these cells belong to the categories of the granulocytic or monocytic cells, but a relationship to the lymphoid cells on the one hand or to the reticulum cells on the other could not be excluded on the basis of this morphological investigation.

Abnormal Cells in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Hodgkin's Disease

“…Nevertheless the cells described in this study were all larger than normal granulocytes or monocytes. As in the preceding article on the light-microscopic investigations (Halie et al, 1974) the following kinds of cells were detected in all patients as well as in the normal control persons : abnormal large monocytes, promyelocytes, parts of megakaryocytes, large lymphoid cells belonging either to the immunoglobulin producing variety or to the immunoblasts responsible for cellular immunity. The last two categories could be found in larger numbers in the diseases investigated than in normal persons.…”

“…An increased number of dark basophilic lymphoid cells could be observed in Hodgkin's disease with light microscopy (Crowther et al, 1969a). A more moderately basophilic variety is usually less conspicuous, but nethertheless nearly always present (Halie et al, 1974). Comparison of the proportion of numbers of these cells from the light-microscopic investigations with those of electron microscopy, does not make it very probable that one of these categories represent solely a Tor B-cell immunoblast population.…”